Process for the manufacture of metal sheets of homogeneous structure made of Zircaloy 2 or of Zircaloy 4

摘要

This process consists in heating a strip made of Zircaloy 2 or of Zircaloy 4 with a thickness of 9 mm to a temperature higher than 1020@C, in quenching it in water at a temperature lower than 15@C, the period of transfer between the heating furnace and the quenching medium being shorter than 15 seconds and then, after a succession of thermomechanical and/or mechanical treatments, in subjecting it to a final heat treatment between 700 and 750@C for 1 to 3 minutes. These metal sheets exhibit an improved resistance to corrosion of nodular and uniform type and find their applications in the manufacture of casings employed in boiling-water nuclear reactors. <IMAGE>