Zircaloy tubing having high resistance to crack propagation.

摘要

A Zircaloy cladding (104) having an outer region comprising fine precipitates (108) and inner region comprising coarse precipitates (102) is provided. The outer region comprises about 10% and the inner region comprises about 90% of the cladding wall thickness. Such Zircaloy tubing is resistant to propagation of cracks and at the same time resistant to corrosion in boiling water reactors (BWR). Resistance to damage caused by the pellet-cladding-interaction can be achieved by standard application of a zirconium or zirconium-alloy liner on the tubing inside surface.