MANUFACTURE OF TUBE COMPOSED OF ZIRCONIUM ALLOY

摘要

PURPOSE: To produce a zirconium alloy tube for cladding a nuclear fuel rod in which resistance against chemical corrosion and mechanical deformation is increased by providing a high degree radial texture to the tube during final production stage thereof. CONSTITUTION: An alloy to be used has compact hexagonal crystal structure and since a texture is developed in the radial direction, it is insusceptible to chemical corrosion or mechanical attack as compared with an untissued alloy. Relationship of the reference pole is shown on the figure for the axial circumferential and radial deformation of a zirconium alloy tube and when the radial compressive deformation is larger than the circumferential deformation, a product tissued in the radial direction is obtained. A tube is machined to have diameter 10-20% smaller than the final diameter and then annealed for the purpose of removing stress or recrystallization and then the tube is enlarged to have a desired diameter thus generating radial tissue having single peak in the final tube.