| Title |
Effect of Microstructure on Corrosion Characteristics of Zr-5Nb Alloy |
| Authors |
김현길(Hyun Gil Kim); 최병권(Byoung Kwon Choi); 조해동(Hai Dong Cho); 박정용(Jeong Yong Park); 정용환(Yong Hwan Jeong) |
| ISSN |
1738-8228(ISSN), 2288-8241(eISSN) |
| Keywords |
zirconium alloy; corrosion; microstructure; ß-phase; fuel cladding |
| Abstract |
For a better understanding of the correlation between a corrosion and a microstructure, it is necessary to study a phase transformation with an annealing condition for Zr-Nb alloy. Zr-5wt.%Nb alloy with different phase characteristics was prepared with various annealing conditions. A microstructural study and corrosion test were performed to investigate the effect of a phase such as the phase type, fraction, and size on corrosion. The corrosion behavior of the Zr-5Nb alloy was very sensitive to the annealing condition, which affected the formation of the ß-phases (ß-Nb or ß-Zr). The corrosion rate of the Zr-5Nb alloy annealed at 500℃ with the formation of the ß-Nb phase was lower than that of the Zr-5Nb alloy annealed from 600 to 800℃ with the formation of the ß-Zr phase. The highest corrosion rate was observed for the ß-quenched Zr-5Nb alloy. After a consideration of the corrosion rate and microstructure of the Zr-5Nb alloy, the corrosion resistance of that alloy was improved due to the formation of a small sized ß-Nb phase which could be controlled by the annealing condition. |