SEDL / STP / STP955-EB / STP33851S

Phase Transformations in Neutron-Irradiated Zircaloys

Chung, HM
Metallurgist, Argonne National Laboratory, Material Science and Technology Division, Argonne, IL

Pages: 24    Published: Jan 1987

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Abstract

Microstructural evolution in Zircaloy-2 and -4 spent-fuel cladding specimens after three years of irradiation in commercial power reactors has been investigated by transmission and high-voltage electron microscopies. Two kinds of precipitates induced by the fastneutron irradiation in the reactors have been identified, that is, Zr³O and cubic-ZrO² particles approximately 2 to 10 nm in size. By means of specimen tilting and dark-field stereomicroscopy, the bulk nature of the cubic-ZrO² particles has been shown. The Zr(Fe^x,Cr^1−x)² and Zr²(Fe^x,Ni^1−x) intermetallic precipitates normally present in the as-fabricated material virtually dissolved in the spent-fuel cladding specimens after a fast-neutron fluence of ∼4 × 10²¹ n/cm² in the power reactors. The observed radiation-induced phase transformations are discussed in relation with the currently available understanding of the alloy characteristics.