TECHNICAL PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD APRIL 1953 THROUGH JUNE 1953

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1953

OSTI ID:4037340

A laboratory study of process variables in the production of extruded Be powder was carried out. It appears that the achievement of high ductility is not a sensitive function of extrusion conditions and thermal history. This conclusion needs to be verified for large-scale extrusions. X-ray preferred orientation studies showed that cross rolling of extruded Be flats to a reduction of about nine times causes the great majority of basal plants of the various crystals to lie in the plane of the sheet. Zone melting of Be leads to extensive purifications with respect to Si, Al, and Cr, but little effect on Fe, Ni, Cu, Mn, and C. Alpha-extruded U develops a coarse non-equiaxed grain structure when extruded at high velocities and high reductions. Water quenching at the die exit prevents the coarse grain size. Preliminary work has shown that sandwich tubes of Al with Al--U alloy can be made by coextrusion with a bond between the "meat" and the clad. Apparatus for hot tensile testing of U and Zr and their various alloys at elongation rates up to 30 inches/inch/second was constructed. It is hoped that results will lead to improved understanding of the behavior of these metals during coextrusion. Hardness measurements of uranium billets have shown a great variability of hardness from crystal to crystal which appears to correlate with interface irregularities in coextruded rods. Radiator structures of the type desired by Dow-Detroit were filled with U --Cr alloy to depths of six inches. Zr is quite resistant to the molten alloy and will be used for further studies of radiator castings. The technique used for a successful extrusion of one ton of Th on a commercial press is described. Cermets of BeO with Be and with third elements were made and studied. Properties such as density, strength, shear, modulus, thermal conductivity, and thermal expansion were measured. It appears that high density compacts can be made with up to seven percent Be metal. These appear to have appreciably greater thermal shock resistance than pure BeO. Certain tereary cermets with Si or Mo appear to have even better thermal shock resistance. A new type of vacuum furnace for high temperature melting is described and some performance data are given. (auth)

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge. Metallurgical Project
• NSA Number: NSA-15-023945
• OSTI ID: 4037340
• Report Number(s): MIT-1113(Del.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALLOTROPY
ALUMINUM
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
BERYLLIUM
BERYLLIUM OXIDES
BONDING
CARBON
CASTING
CERMETS
CHROMIUM
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COMPACTING
CONFIGURATION
COPPER
CRYSTALS
DENSITY
DIES
DUCTILITY
ELEMENTS
EXPANSION
EXTRUSION
FURNACES
GRAIN SIZE
HARDNESS
HEAT TREATMENTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
IMPURITIES
IRON
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
LIQUID METALS
MACHINE PARTS
MANGANESE
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MELTING
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
MOLYBDENUM
NICKEL
POWDERS
PRESSURE
QUENCHING
REFINING
RODS
ROLLING
SENSITIVITY
SHEAR
SHEETS
SILICON
STABILITY
SURFACES
TENSILE PROPERTIES
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMAL STRESSES
THICKNESS