• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.165-170
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• 2021

Zirconium has excellent mechanical strength and high heat resistance and excellent corrosion resistance, and it is very important to study zirconium's dissimilar welding properties since it can be used in various applications under harsh environments. Similar welding of pure zirconium and dissimilar metal welding of pure zirconium and pure titanium were performed by TIG welding, and the welding properties were studied in association with microstructural and mechanical properties. In the Zr/Zr welded specimen, sound FZ and HAZ regions showed a basketweave microstructure composed of plate α phase. FZ region of Zr/Ti dissimilar welded specimen exhibited a maximum hardness value of 354.8 Hv, which is about three times higher than that of Ti base metal, due to the precipitation of very fine metastable ω and α phases in the beta matrix. In addition, due to the microstructural continuity in the FZ and HAZ regions, excellent elongation property of 21% was exhibited.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.317-323
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• 2002

Effect of V and Sb content on characteristics of ${\beta}\;to\;{\alpha}$ phase transformation in Zr-0.84Sn alloy has been studied using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. As V content increased, the ${\beta}{\to}{\beta}+{\alpha}$ transformation temperature was lowered, thus allowing the width of $\alpha$-lath in air-cooled Zr-0.86Sn-0.40V alloy to be fine. The width of ${\alpha}$-lath in air-cooled Zr-0.84Sn-xSb, however, was rarely changed with Sb content. The ${\beta}\;to\;{\alpha}$ transformed microstructures of water-quenched Zr-0.84Sn, Zr-0.84Sn-0.10V and Zr-0.84Sn-0.19V alloys were mainly slipped martensite. On the other hand, those of wafter-quenched Zr-0.86Sn-0.40V and Zr-0.85Sn-0.05Sb alloys were predominantly twinned martensite. In case of water-quenched Zr-0.85Sn-0.12Sb and Zr-0.84Sn-0.17Sb alloys, basketweave structure was observed. The transition of slipped martensite to twinned martensite in Zr-0.84Sn-xV alloys and the transition of twinned martensite to basketweave structure in Zr-0.84Sn-xSb alloys were due to the decrease of $M_s$ temperature.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 1991

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of weld line on the mechanical strengths and the process of weld line elimination in the Zircaloy-4 resistance upset welding for the fabrication of heavy water reactor fuel rods. The weld current and the amount of upset increased linearly with the main heat, in which two relations between them were derived. It was found that the threshold to obtain sound weld was 50% of main heat in terms of weld upset size, mechanical strengths and weld line elimination. The weld microstructure of resistance upset welds of Zircaloy-4 comprsied basketweave, Widmanstatten and martensite respectively by changing the main heats. Dimples on uniaxially fractured surface at weld line in the Zr-4 welds were larger and deeper compared with those on biaxially fractured surface. It was also found that the process of the weld line elimination in the resistance upset weld of Zircaloy-4 could be divided into three stages in terms of the presence of many pores, their shrinkage and elimination, and the shrinkage of the original weld interface with increasing weld currents.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.70-78
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• 1993

An attempt was made to investigate the effect of brazing time on microstructure, microhardness, and corrosion of Zircaloy -4as well as the beryllium diffusion into its sheet. The sheets were coated with beryllium and brazed at $1020^{\circ}C$ for 20-40 minutes in $2{\times}10^{-5}$ torr vacuum atmosphere. 1. Microstructurally the brazed zone was largely divided into three regions: a region of continuous or partially formed of eutectic liquid films along grain boundaries; a region of precipitation in both grains and grain boundaries; a region of elongated wide structure of .alpha.-laths, which was not affected by beryllium. 2. Due to the precipitates, the beryllium-migrated region was hardened and the width of the hardened region increased with increasing brazing time. 3. Beryllium brazed Zircaloy -4 sheets showed a higher corrosion rate than those of as-received and heat-treated at a brazing temperature. 4. Diffusion coefficient of beryllium into Zircaloy -4 at $1020^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes was $7.67{\times}10^{-7}cm^2/sec.$ It seemed that Be penetrated Zircaloy -4 by forming eutectic liquid films along grain boundaries in the proximity of Be/Zr interface and it, thereafter, diffused into Zircaloy mainly by interstitial solid solution.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.57-65
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• 1997

A study was undertaken to determine the influence of welding variables such as shielding and plasma gases, torch standoff, travel speed and heat input, etc. on the quality of plasma arc welds in Zircaloy-4 sheet, 2mm thick. Effect of shielding gases and their flow rates on the mechanical properties of Zircaloy-4 welds by plasma arc welding were determined in terms of tensile, bardness and bend tests. The microstructure and fracture surface of Zircaloy-4 welds were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopies. In addition, the causes of porosity and undercut in plasma arc welds of Zircaloy-4 were also investigated. Zircaloy-4 weld bead width and depth by helium shielding gas showed a wider and deeper than those by argon. It was found that Zircaloy-4 welds with shielding gas of helium did dxhibit a little smoother and uniform weld beads than those with shielding gas of argon. It was also found that the optimum gas flow rates for Zircaloy-4 welding were 0.45l/min for plasma gas with Ar and 4.5 - 6 l/min for shielding gas with He. In addition, there was no big difference in the microstructure and fracture surface of the weld metals made by either Ar shielding gas or He shielding gas.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.1222-1228
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• 1999

The effects of Sn and Nb content on the characteristics of ${\beta}$ to ${\alpha}$ phase transformation for Zr were studied by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The basketweave structures consisted of fine ${\alpha}$-laths were shown in all the air-cooled specimens. As the Nb content increased, the ${\beta}{\to}{\alpha}$+${\beta}$ transformation temperature decreased thus allowing the width of ${\alpha}$-lath, however, did not change with Sn content. While water-quenched pure Zr and Zr-xSn alloys were found to be mailny slipped martensite, water-quenched Zr-xNb alloys showed predominantly a twinned martensite. The transition of slipped martensite to twinned martensite was contributed to the decrease of Ms temperature.