Electron beam and CO2 laser beam welding of zircaloy 2 and zircaloy 4

An investigation of laser beam and electron beam welding of zircaloy 2 and zircaloy 4 was undertaken. A 1.5 kW continuous wave CO2 laser and a 2.4 kW electron beam system were used to obtain bead on plate welds. The mechanical properties of the welds were determined by tensile strength testing, and the fracture surfaces of the tensile specimens were examined with a scanning electron microscope. The microstructure of the different zones was also investigated, using conventional optical microscopy methods