摘要 |
A process for making a cladding for a nuclear fuel rod is disclosed which includes the following steps. First, at least two layers of zirconium-based metals are spray deposited on a generally cylindrical substrate in a manner that provides a rough, cylindrically-shaped, porous billet. The zirconium-based metal for each layer is different from an adjacent layer and is selected to provide a desired combination of properties. Next, the substrate is removed from the spray deposited material, thereby providing an elongated tube hollow. The spray deposited material is then consolidated in a known manner to remove the porosity, densify the tube hollow to substantially full density, and reduce the cross-sectional dimension of the tube hollow to a desired size. In a further step the consolidated tube hollow is annealed under conditions of time and temperature selected to relieve stresses imposed on the tube hollow during the consolidation step and to provide a desired combination of properties in the densified zirconium-based metal layers.
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