• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.237-245
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• 2018

Potential air ingress scenarios during accidents in nuclear reactors or spent fuel pools have raised the question of the influence of air, especially of nitrogen, on the oxidation of zirconium alloys, which are used as fuel cladding tubes and other structure materials. In this context, the reaction of zirconium with nitrogen-containing atmospheres and the formation of zirconium nitride play an important role in understanding the oxidation mechanism. This article presents the results of analysis of the interaction of the oxygen-preloaded niobium-bearing alloy $M5^{(R)}$ with nitrogen over a wide range of temperatures ($800-1400^{\circ}C$) and oxygen contents in the metal alloy (1-7 wt.%). A strongly increasing nitriding rate with rising oxygen content in the metal was found. The highest reaction rates were measured for the saturated ${\alpha}-Zr(O)$, as it exists at the metal-oxide interface, at $1300^{\circ}C$. The temperature maximum of the reaction rate was approximately 100 K higher than for Zircaloy-4, already investigated in a previous study. The article presents results of thermogravimetric experiments as well as posttest examinations by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microprobe elemental analyses. Furthermore, a comparison with results obtained with Zircaloy-4 will be made.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2002

A FEM model of the remote-field eddy current effect is presented for zirconium-2.5 percent niobium(Zr-2.5%Nb) nuclear reactor pressure tubes to demonstrate the important electromagnetic field phenomena. This model is applied to evaluate the optimal operating frequency and detector position. There are many ambiguous experimental results connected with this technique. Finite element calculations can be used in the interpretation of these experimental results even though the electromagnetic fields measured in the remote-field technique are very small.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.56 no.11
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• pp.796-804
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• 2018

The Charpy impact toughness of the heat affected zone (HAZ) of electro gas welded 390 MPa yield strength grade steel, manufactured by a thermo mechanically controlled process, was investigated. The effects of added Nb on the toughness of the steel and the factors influencing scatter in toughness are discussed in the present work. It was observed that adding Nb to the steel led to the deterioration of HAZ toughness. The presence of soluble Nb in the HAZ increased its hardenability and resulted in a larger amount of low toughness bainitic microstructure. Microstructural observations in the notch root area revealed the significant role of different microstructures in the area. In the presence of a larger amount of bainitic microstructures, the HAZ exhibited a lower Charpy toughness with a larger scatter in toughness. A softened zone with a lower hardness than the base metal was formed in the HAZ. However, theoretical analysis revealed that the presence of the zone might not be a problem in a real welded joint because of the plastic restraint effect enforced by surrounding materials.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.301-305
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• 2021

The role of Nb addition in the tension and corrosion responses of ferrite-based stainless-steel sheets processed by cold-rolling and annealing treatment at 1173 °K was studied to evaluate the possibility for commercialization. For this purpose, the grain sizes in the samples with and without Nb content were controlled to be reasonably identical by utilizing different heat treatments within the specific range for 60 seconds. The corrosion properties of both samples were evaluated based on the analysis of polarization curves. Room-temperature tension testing showed that the strength of the sample with Nb was much higher than that without Nb whereas the elongation of the sample with Nb was slightly lower than that without Nb. The polarization curves revealed that the addition of Nb contributed to the significant improvement in protective capabilities. We thought that such combinational behavior was mainly due to the formation of niobium carbides found in the ferritic matrix.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.528-532
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• 2022

Recently, the necessity of designing and applying tool materials that perform machining of difficult-to-cut materials in a cryogenic treatment where demand is increasing. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of cryogenically treated WC-5 wt% NbC hard materials fabricated by a pulsed current activated sintering process. The densely consolidated specimens are cryogenically exposed to liquid nitrogen for 6, 12, and 24 h. All cryogenically treated samples exhibit compressive stress in the sintered body compared with the untreated sample. Furthermore, a change in the lattice constant leads to compressive stress in the specimens, which improves their mechanical performance. The cryogenically treated samples exhibit significant improvement in mechanical properties, with a 10.5 % increase in Vickers hardness and a 60 % decrease in the rupture strength compared with the untreated samples. However, deep cryogenic treatment of over 24 h deteriorates the mechanical properties indicating that excessive treatment causes tensile stress in the specimens. Therefore, the cryogenic treatment time should be controlled precisely to obtain mechanically enhanced hard materials.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.407-416
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• 2022

In this study, the gravitating mechanical stir casting method was used to fabricating the Nb₂O₅/AZ31 magnesium matrix nanocomposites. Niobium pentoxide (Nb₂O₅) used as reinforcement with two different weight percentages (3 wt % and 6 wt %). The influence of Nb₂O₅ on microstructure and mechanical properties has been investigated. The microstructure analysis showed that the composites are mainly composed of the primary α-magnesium phase and phase β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ secondary phase. The secondary phase was dispersed evenly along the grain boundary of the Mg phase. The Nb₂O₅/AZ31 nanocomposites revealed that the grain size and its lamellar shape (β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂) were gradually refined. Different strengthening mechanisms were assessed in terms of their contributions. Results showed that composite material properties of hardness, yield strength, and fracture study were directly related to Nb₂O₅ as a reinforcement. The maximum values of the mechanical properties were achieved with the addition of 3 wt% Nb₂O₅ on the AZ31 alloy.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2024

This study investigated the effect of Kr ion beam irradiation on the superconducting properties of Nb thin films, which are known for their high superconducting transition temperature (T_c) at ambient pressure among single elements. Using the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) program, we analyzed the distribution of Kr ions and displacement per atom (DPA) after irradiation, finding a direct correlation between irradiation amount and DPA. In samples with stronger beam energy, deeper ion penetration, fewer ions remained, and higher DPA values were observed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the Nb (110) peak at 38.5° weakened and shifted with increasing irradiation. T_c decreased in all samples after irradiation, more significantly in those with higher beam energy. Irradiation raised resistivity of the film and lowered the residual-resistivity ratio (RRR). AC susceptibility measurements were also consistent with these findings. This research could potentially lead to more efficient and powerful superconducting devices and a better understanding of superconducting materials.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2625-2632
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated the possibility of employing accident tolerant fuel (ATF) in VVER-1200/V491 assembly without gadolinium-containing fuel rods using the Monte Carlo code Serpent 1.1.7 with ENDF/B-VII cross-section library. The analysis involves assembly design with reflective boundary conditions. To compare the neutronic performances, U-5Mo, U-7.5Mo, U-10Mo, and U-15Mo fuels were chosen in addition to ordinary UO₂ fuel. The concentration of ¹³⁵Xe, ¹⁴⁹Sm, fissile and fertile isotopes with burnup, reactivity feedback with fuel temperature variation, and β eff values were calculated. The results indicate that the fuel cycle length increases by 54.27% for U-5Mo, 32.6% for U-7.5Mo, and 13.8% for U-10Mo, while it decreases by 16.4% for U-15Mo fuel. Additionally, the effect of ⁹⁵Mo content in natural Mo was investigated by reducing the ⁹⁵Mo concentration. According to the results, each proposed fuel's fuel cycle length extended when the depletion ratio of ⁹⁵Mo increased. Additionally, the calculations for reactivity feedback guarantee safe operating conditions for all U-xMo fuels.

• Proceedings of the Optical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.02a
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• pp.133-134
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• 2009

Cold temperature development (CTD) of electron beam (EB) patterned resists and subsequent dry etching were investigated for fabrication of nano-patterned Niobium (Nb). Bulky Nb fims on GaAs substrates were deposited with EB evaporation. Line patterns on Nb cathode were fabricated by EB patterning and reactive ion etching (RIE). Size deviations of nano-sized line patterns from CAD designed patterns are dependent on the EB total exposure, but it can be improved by CTD of EB-exposed resist. Line patterns of 10 to 300 nm widths of EB-exposed resist patterns were drawn under various exposure conditions of $0.2{\mu}s$/dot (total 240,000 dot) with a constant current (50 pA). Compared with room temperature development (RTD), the CTD improves pattern resolution due to the suppression of backscattering effect. RIE with $CF_4$ was performed for formation of several nano-sized line patterns on Nb. Each EB-resist patterned samples with RTDs and CTDs were etched with two different $CF_4$ gas pressures of 5 Pa. Nb etching rate increases while GaAs (or ZEP) etching rate decreases as the chamber pressure increases. This different dependent of the etching rate on the $CF_4$ pressure between Nb and GaAs (or ZEP) has a significant meaning because selective etching of nano-sized Nb line patterns is possible without etching of the underlying active layer.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.75-82
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• 2005

Recently the needs of high reliable substances of high strength and high ductility are gradually increased with the development of aerospace industry. The characteristics of maraging steel has high ductililty, formability, corrosion resistant and high temperature strength and is easy to fabricate, weld and treat with heat, and maintain an invariable size even after heat treatment. e steels are furnished in the solution annealed condition and they achieve full properties through martensitic precipitation aging a relatively simple, low temperature heat treatment. As is true of the heat treating procedures, aging is a time/temperature dependent reaction. Therefore, the objective of this stud)'was consideration of fatigue characteristics according as Nb(niobium) content and time/temperature of heat treatment change. Also the stress analysis, fatigue lift, and stress intensity factor were compared with experiment results and FEA(finite element analysis) result. The maximum ftresses of)( Y, and Z axis direction showed about $2.12\times$10$^{2}$MPa, $4.40\times$10$^{2}$MPa and $1.32\times$10$^{2}$MPa respectively. The fatigue lives showed about $7\%$ lower FEA result than experiment result showing almost invariable error every analyzed cycle. Stress intensity factor of the FEA result was lower about $3.5~ 10\%$ than that of the experiment result showing that the longer fatigue crack ten添 the hi인or error. It considered that the cause for the difference was the modeled crack tip having always the same shape and condition regardless of the crack growth.