Evolution of texture in zirconium alloy tubing during processing

Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) has been used to determine microtexture in a zirconium alloy tube subject to interrupted pilgering and therefore exhibiting varying amounts of deformation as a function of axial position along the transition between the initial and final size. Texture and hardness measurements have been made as a function of the distance through the tube wall thickness and along the tube length. Texture results have been compared with co-located hardness measurements. The results show a systematic variation in the deformation texture with changes in Q (the ratio of the reduction in thickness to reduction in diameter). This is consistent with previous observations of the effect of Q on texture evolution in zirconium alloys. It is demonstrated that the texture measurements can be correlated well with the anisotropy in strength determined from hardness measurements. (orig.)