The Recrystallization Behavior of Zirconium by Addition of High Nb,Fe

The development of improved zirconium alloys has been extensively carried out in many countries for the last few decades. They have reported that the corrosion resistance of zirconium alloys was determined by the alloying elements as well as manufacturing processes. Among the various elements, Nb and Fe are chosen in the advanced claddings, since the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties in the irradiation environment could be improved by the addition of these two elements. However, the corrosion behavior and mechanical property is very sensitive by the addition of high Nb and Fe. So, it is necessary for the study on microstructural changes with heat-treatment of high Nb, Fe containing Zr alloy to improve the corrosion and mechanical properties. Especially, recrystallization behavior is very important factor to control the precipitate characteristics and fraction of recrystallization. Because the corrosion is controlled by the precipitates type and the mechanical properties are determined by the fraction of recrystallization. Therefore, this study is focused on the effect of high Nb and Fe addition of zirconium alloy on recrystallization behavior