Thermophysical properties of uranium-zirconium alloys

The thermal diffusivities of metallic uranium, zirconium and uranium-zirconium alloys were measured by the laser-flash method in the temperature region from 300 to 1000 K. Above 880 K, the thermal diffusivities of alloys showed anomalous behavior caused by phase transitions. By using heat capacities estimated from the data of uranium and zirconium, the thermal conductivity of the pure metals were determined from 300 to 1000 K and those of the alloys from 300 to 880 K. Both the thermal diffusivities and the thermal conductivities of the alloys exhibited minimum values in the δ-phase alloy having a composition of U-72.4 at% Zr. (orig.)