SEDL / STP / STP458-EB / STP43818S

In-Reactor Creep of Zirconium-Alloy Tubes and Its Correlation with Uniaxial Data

Ibrahim, E. F.
Metallurgist, Metallurgical Engineering Branch, Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ont.

Pages: 19    Published: Jan 1969

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Abstract

A creep experiment on 23-mm diameter tubular specimens of Zircaloy-2 is described. The specimens are stressed biaxially at hoop stresses from 11 to 26 kgf/mm² at 260 C at three neutron flux conditions. The results confirm that fast neutrons increase creep rates at all the stresses tested, but thermal neutrons have no detectable effect. The creep data are consistent with those obtained on larger tubes.

A method is described for correlating biaxial tubular and uniaxial in-reactor creep results for zirconium alloys and this is applied to cold-worked Zircaloy-2, cold-worked 2.5Nb zirconium, and heat-treated 2.5Nb zirconium alloys.