FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN METALLURGY. Progress Report for August 1960

Technical Report · Fri Sep 30 04:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4132590

Progress is reported on the development of the hotextrusion technique for UO/sub 2/. The primary object was to improve the technique sufficiently to permit fabrication of enriched fuel for irradiation. Preliminary forming studies are in process to determine the feasibility of making dimpled sheet and/or honeycomb type fuel elements. A program is reported to investigate fabrication methods for yttrium metal which wiil lead to improved products quality and to significant cost reductions in the fabrication of hardware. The collection and assessment of information pertinent to the design of a plant to fabricate ThO/sub 2/ fuel elements containing up to 5% U/sup 233/ is continuing in the three categories: plant input, fuel fabrication, and plant output. The behavior of beta -phase uranium during neutron irradiation under conditions that would cause gross sweiling in alpha uranium is being evaluated. Work was begun on plans ior the construction of the necessary modifications to the 100-ton vertical extrusion press to allow the extrusion of beryllium from a container filled with molten lead at 900 deg F. The extrusion press ram will apply force to the lead. The force will be transmitted hydrostatically to the beryllium and cause the beryllium to extrude. The billet will be designed in such a manner as to cause a progressively increasing reduction ratio as the billet extrudes. An investigation into the mechanism of the corrosion of zirconium alloys in high- temperature steam, with emphasis on the role of intermetallic precipitates, is reported. Alloys of Be-Co and Be-Mn were examined by thermal analysis. Preparation of a billet of beryllium-8 at.% Nickel for hot extrusion was begun. (For preceding period see NMI-2087.) (W.L.H.)

• Research Organization: Nuclear Metals, Inc., Concord, Mass.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-001755
• OSTI ID: 4132590
• Report Number(s): NMI-2088
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALLOTROPY
BERYLLIUM
BERYLLIUM ALLOYS
COBALT ALLOYS
CORROSION
EXPANSION
EXTRUSION
FABRICATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HONEYCOMB
HYDRAULICS
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
IRRADIATION
LEAD
LIQUID METALS
MANGANESE ALLOYS
METALLURGY
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
NEUTRON BEAMS
NICKEL ALLOYS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PLANNING
PRESSURE
RADIATION EFFECTS
STEAM
THORIUM OXIDES
URANIUM
URANIUM 233
URANIUM DIOXIDE
YTTRIUM
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS