Topic
Zirconium alloy
About: Zirconium alloy is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 6548 publications have been published within this topic receiving 78954 citations. The topic is also known as: zircaloy.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the delta-phase Zr hydrides were examined by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and the most common crystallographic relationship for both types of the hyddrides precipitated at the inter- and intra-granular sites was identical at (0001)(alpha) // {111}(delta), with {1017}(alpha) and { 111} (delta) being the occasional exception only for the intergranular radial hydride.
Abstract: Precipitation morphology and habit planes of the delta-phase Zr hydrides, which were precipitated within the a-phase matrix grains and along the grain boundaries of recrystallized Zircaloy-2 cladding tube, have been examined by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Radially-oriented hydrides, induced by residual tensile stress, precipitated in the outside region of the cladding, and circumferentially-oriented hydrides in the stress-free middle region of the cladding. The most common crystallographic relationship for both types of the hydrides precipitated at the inter- and intra-granular sites was identical at (0001)(alpha) // {111}(delta), with {1017}(alpha) // {111}(delta) being the occasional exception only for the inter-granular radial hydrides. When tensile stress was loaded, the intra-granular hydrides tended to preferentially precipitate in the grains with circumferential basal pole textures. The inter-granular hydrides tended to preferentially precipitate on the grain faces opposite to tensile axis. The change of prioritization in the precipitation sites for the hydrides due to tensile stress could be explained in terms of the relaxation effect of constrained elastic energy on the terminal solid solubility of hydrogen at hydride precipitation.
84 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the terminal solubility of hydrogen in the α-phase of binary alloys of zirconium with niobium, titanium, hafnium, yttrium, indium, lead, antimony and oxygen was examined by means of hydrogen pressure-concentration isotherms above the eutectoid temperature and a dilatometric technique below.
84 citations
TL;DR: A review of the evolution in measurement methodologies (either from controlled experiments in materials test reactors or gauging of power reactor components) is described together with the results gleaned from such measurements.
84 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the formation of brittle hydrides is reviewed in light of recent synchrotron radiation experimental results and phase-field modeling computational results that provide new insight on the process.
Abstract: The ingress of hydrogen during corrosion in service can degrade the mechanical properties of zirconium alloy nuclear fuel cladding because of the formation of brittle hydrides. The formation of these hydrides is reviewed in light of recent synchrotron radiation experimental results and phase-field modeling computational results that provide new insight on the process.
83 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that the threshold stress is approximately 75-80 MPa for both nonirradiated and high-burnup stress-relieved Zry-4 fuel cladding cooled from 400°C and, under ring compression at both room temperature and 150°C, that radial-hydride precipitation embrittles Zry4.
Abstract: Prestorage drying operations of high-burnup fuel may make Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) fuel cladding more susceptible to failure, especially during fuel handling, transport, and post-storage retrieval. In particular, hydride precipitates may reorient from the circumferential to the radial direction of the cladding during drying operations if a threshold level of hoop stress at or above a corresponding threshold temperature is exceeded. This study indicates that the threshold stress is approximately 75–80 MPa for both nonirradiated and high-burnup stress-relieved Zry-4 fuel cladding cooled from 400°C and, under ring compression at both room temperature and 150°C, that radial-hydride precipitation embrittles Zry-4. Specifically, the plastic tensile hoop strain needed to initiate unstable crack propagation along radial hydrides decreases dramatically from >8% to lt;1% as radial-hydride fraction increases. Lower hydrogen contents (lr;300wppm) appear to be more susceptible to radial-hydride embrittlement compared to hig...
83 citations