Uranium dioxide (UO2), the most widely used nuclear fuel, exhibits complex plasticity and highly anisotropic mechanical properties. Under high burnup conditions, the rim region is formed with tangled dislocation networks in UO2, involving the propagation and interaction of dislocations in multiple slip systems, leading to distinct behaviors compared to the traditional metals. In this work, we proposed an atomic-informed dislocation mobility law corresponding to both {100} and {110} slip systems, with all parameters calibrated from experiments. By employing this newly developed mobility law as well as a thermally activated cross-slip model, we carried out three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) simulations to explore the anisotropic plastic responses of UO2 across a wide range of temperatures from 900 K to 1900 K. The temperature dependence of critical resolved shear stress of {100} and {110} slip systems has been successfully reproduced by our simulations, which agrees well with experimental data. A strong orientation and temperature dependent yield strength has been observed from the single crystal UO2 tensile tests, which agrees well with experiments. Notably, the experimentally observed yield stress drop of UO2 is reproduced in our DDD simulations, rooted in the slip system transition from the {110} (hard) to {100} (easy) slip systems. To highlight the interplay of dislocations in different slip systems, a dislocation density evolution model was established, incorporating dislocation multiplication, annihilation, cross-slip, and junction formation mechanisms. This model not only accurately predicts the dislocation density evolution for both {100} and {110} slip systems, but also reveals the underlying mechanism for the aforementioned slip transition behaviors. In conjunction with the dislocation mobility law, a dislocation-based crystal plasticity model was developed which can accurately predict the macroscopic mechanical response of single crystal UO2 under different temperatures and strain rates. These insights are expected to shed light on understanding the mechanical anisotropy of UO2 under high irradiation dose and complex loading conditions.
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