Analysis of preferential orientation in zirconium samples deformed by uniaxial tension using neutron and X-ray diffraction

Abstract

Two series of zirconium samples were investigated by neutron and X-ray diffraction. First series of the samples was deformed at room temperature (RT), whereas the second series was deformed at 300 °C. Both series were deformed on uniaxial tensile machine INSTRON 5882 from strain 0 to 30% (strain step was 5%). The neutronographic texture measurements were performed on the KSN-2 neutron diffractometer located at the research reactor LVR-15 in the Nuclear Research Institute, plc. Rez, Czech Republic. The X-ray measurements were performed at the theta/theta X'Pert PRO diffractometer with the Cr X-ray tube. Observed data were processed by the software packages GSAS and X'Pert Texture. Preferential orientation of the $\left({10\bar 10} \right)$ and $\left({11\bar 20} \right)$ plane poles is found to be parallel to the rolling direction for both tested deformation series. Poles of the $\lpar 10\bar 12\rpar $ and $\lpar 10\bar 13\rpar $ planes tend to be parallel to the normal direction (Tables II and III). Orientation of the basal poles is tilted by 45° from the normal direction toward the transverse direction. Sharpness of the resulting texture increases with extends of the applied deformation as well as with rise of the tensile test temperature from the RT level to 300 °C.