QUARTERLY METALLURGICAL PROGRESS REPORT NUMBER 9 FOR THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 1, 1960 TO DECEMBER 31, 1960

Technical Report · Tue Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4080229

Sodium Reduction of Thorium Tetracliloride. Filtering molten thorium tetrachloride through molyhdenum wool and porous Inconel effectively removes any carbon present. Thorinm metal was prepared containing 500 to 1350 ppm oxygen and 20 to 200 ppm carbon. The metal was successfully arc-melted ard cold-worked into bar, rod, and sheet. Uraninm Reduction Studies. Boron nitride appears to be the only suitable crucible material for the reduction of UF/sub 6/ with magnesium. Crucible temperatures approximate 1200 deg C. Zirconium-Hafnium Separation. Approximately 90 to 95% of complex fluo salts of zirconium and hafnium prepared by fusing zircon and potassium silicofluoride can be leached from the frit with hydrofluoric acid. An enriched fraction containing over 10% hafnium can be produced by the selective reduction of mixed hafnium-zirconium chlorides. Hafnium Alloys. A tentative hafnium--tantalum phase diagram was developed and an investigation of the hafnium--vanadium system was started. Rare Earth Alloys. A gadolinium--iron dfagram was completed, ard gadolinium--nickel and iridium- titanium dfagrams are nearing completion. Ternary alloys of chromium -- gadolinium--iron were studied. NiobinmTantalum Welding. An inert atomsphere welding chamber was completed, and prelimirary welding tests on zirconium sheets were started. Difficulty in obtaining suitable tantalum sheet delayed the welding studies. Melting Research. Evaluation of models of finned, air-cooled crucibles indicated that spacing of fins may be critical. Film coefficients were developed for cooling in an air-water-cooled cruciele. Electron-beam melting of reactor materials was beset with difficulties; it appears that most of them were overcome. Several attempts to cast hafnium carbide were made. Most of the castings show considerable porosity. (For preceding peried see USBM-U-761.) (auth)

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines. Albany Metallurgy Research Center, Ore.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-011463
• OSTI ID: 4080229
• Report Number(s): USBM-U-783
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AIR
BORON NITRIDES
CARBON
CASTING
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COMPLEXES
COOLING
CRUCIBLES
DIAGRAMS
ELECTRIC ARCS
ELECTRON BEAMS
ENRICHMENT
FILMS
FILTERS
FUSED SALTS
GADOLINIUM ALLOYS
HAFNIUM
HAFNIUM ALLOYS
HAFNIUM CARBIDES
HAFNIUM CHLORIDES
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
IRIDIUM ALLOYS
IRON ALLOYS
LEACHING
MAGNESIUM
MELTING
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
MOLYBDENUM
NICKEL ALLOYS
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
OXYGEN
PHASE DIAGRAMS
POROSITY
POTASSIUM FLUORIDES
PREPARATION
RARE EARTHS
REDUCTION
RODS
ROLLING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILICON FLUORIDES
SODIUM
TANTALUM ALLOYS
TEMPERATURE
THORIUM
THORIUM CHLORIDES
TITANIUM ALLOYS
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
VANADIUM ALLOYS
WATER
WEL