Simulation of the Stamping of Spacing Grid Cells Made of Thin-Walled Zirconium Tubes

Finite element simulation is used to study the influence of the anisotropy of the properties of thin-walled tubes made of a Zr–1 wt % Nb alloy on the geometric sizes, the residual stresses, and other parameters of spacing grid cells. The anisotropy of the mechanical properties and the initial structural state are shown to substantially affect the cell sizes. The distributions of the axial and tangential residual stresses in a stamped cell are calculated and measured, and their maximum values agree well with each other.