What are fuel rods made of?

To make a fuel rod uranium is mined then enriched to increase the U235 content from about .3% to something like 5%. After this is completed the uranium is in the form of uranium dioxide (UO2). The UO2 is in the form of a powder and in pressed in to pellet form under high pressure. read more

Nuclear fuel rods, the key component of nuclear fission are made of 2 main parts: uranium and ceramic material. The uranium is of course the fuel part of the fuel rod, and tends to contain 5–20% U-235(this type undergoes fission). The rest is U-238(this is fertile, not fissive). read more

Fuel rods in the reactor vessel are made of uranium-235. Uranium is one of the most common elements that can be found on earth and can be mined on areas where it is mostly concentrated. The uranium has to be taken from the rocks where it is found and then it will be combined with the uranium 235 isotope. read more