METHOD FOR WELDING ZIRCONIUM ALLOY STRUCTURE FOR NUCLEAR FUEL

摘要

PURPOSE:To decrease strains, residual stresses and deformations by welding and joining zirconium alloys by a laser in a gaseous argon atmosphere and welding beads to the respective outer side faces of a structure by the laser beam. CONSTITUTION:The front end faces in the transverse direction of a U-shaped channel 1 consisting of the zirconium alloy plates are mated and the mating surfaces 2 along the longitudinal direction of a square pipe generated in such a manner are joined by laser beam welding to produce a fuel channel (c) having a square shape. The beads (b) along the longitudinal direction of this fuel channel (c) are welded by the laser beam welding to the respective transverse centers of the side faces having no welding sections to anneal this fuel channel (c).