THE TRANSFORMATION BEHAVIOUR OF SOME DILUTE URANIUM ALLOYS

Technical Report · Sat Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1959

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4283105· OSTI ID:4283105

Jepson, M D; Kehoe, R D; Nichols, R W; Slattery, G F

Metallographic and dilatometric studies of the heat treatment behavior of technical uranium and certain alloys of interest for use in natural-uranium fuelled reactors are described. The micro-structure and secondary phases present in high purity and technical purity uranium are first discussed and the time- temperature-transformation data presented. Results on binary alloys comprising U/ Al, U/Cr, U/Fe, U/Mo, U/Nb, U/Ti, U/V, and U/Zr, containing up to about 2 at.% of the alloying element, are described. Cr, Fe, and Zr were found to be the most effective grain refining agents. Al and V were satisfactory under some conditions whereas Mo, Nb, and Ti were ineffective. The grain-size results together with the time-temperaturetransformation curves indicated that grain refinement is associated with depression of the temperature of transformation on heat treatment, the extent of this depression for a given cooling rate being dependent on the alloy content. In practice it was found that alloys such as U/ Zr and U/Fe responded to water quenching treatments, and optimum refinement of others (e.k., U/Cr) resulted from isothermal treatment at 500 to 600 deg C. (auth)

• Research Organization: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Springfields, Lancs, Eng.
• NSA Number: NSA-13-006765
• OSTI ID: 4283105
• Report Number(s): A/CONF.15/P/27
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALUMINUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COOLING
DIAGRAMS
EXPANSION
FUELS
GRAIN SIZE
HEAT TREATMENTS
IRON ALLOYS
METALLOGRAPHY
METALLURGY AND CERAMICS
MOLYBDENUM ALLOYS
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
QUENCHING
REFINING
TEMPERATURE
TITANIUM ALLOYS
URANIUM
URANIUM ALLOYS
USES
VANADIUM ALLOYS
WATER
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS