Study of the nitrides formation in the ionic nitriding process of zircaloy-2 zirconium alloy

Zircaloy and Zr-Sn alloys are used in nuclear techniques because they show a very low effective absorption section for neutrons and a high corrosion resistance. This paper shows that by ionic nitriding of Zircaloy type alloys, a structure is obtained that enhances the wear resistance. From the study of the N2/H2 ratio on the nitride quantity formed by ion nitriding of Zircaloy-2 alloy, it can be concluded that the gaseous mixtures with high nitrogen and hydrogen content used in discharge are not favourable in the nitride forming process. The optimum ratio is 1/1. The ZrN superficial layer hardness was checked according to the exposure time and to the layer thickness. (J.S.). 6 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs