THE PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF DISPERSION-HARDENED URANIUM POWDER PRODUCTS

Technical Report · Tue Feb 21 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4825956

Arbiter, W

A method for producing fine, surface-oxidized uraniium powder with a controlled amount of oxide was developed. The improved double oxidation method, which gave accurate control of the oxide content, is summarized as follows: hydriding uranium shot, partial oxidation of the finely divided hydride, decomposition of the hydride, and completion of the oxidation. The method for hot pressing and extruding these powders in vacuum, developed and refined, was used to produce 25 extrusions of dense, dispersion-hardened uranium -uranium oxide material of various oxide contents. Thermal cycling tests through alpha a/ BETA transformation temperature showed that sintered uranium powder (SUP) containing more than about 8 vol% of UO/sub 2/ was superior to wrought, unalloyed uranium metal. Hot indentation tests indicated that SUP with high oxide content has substantially better hardness than unalloyed uranium and about the same hardness as U --10 wt% Mo. The creep resistance of SUP as determined in hot bend tests, was also superior to that of unalloyed uranium. (P.C.H.)

• Research Organization: Nuclear Development Corp. of America, White Plains, N.Y.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-004533
• OSTI ID: 4825956
• Report Number(s): NDA-2119-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALLOTROPY
CREEP
DECOMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
EXTRUSION
HARDNESS
HEAT TREATMENTS
HOT WORKING
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
OXIDATION
POWDERS
PRESSURE
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
SINTERING
TENSILE PROPERTIES
URANIUM
URANIUM HYDRIDES
URANIUM OXIDES
URANIUM-ALPHA
URANIUM-BETA
VACUUM