Study of the structure of zirconium single crystals under the β → α transformation

Abstract

The metallographic, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy studies of the structure of iodide zirconium single crystal obtained by the floating-zone method are carried out. It is shown that a parent single crystal consists of macroscopic hcp-packets of six different versions governed by the Burgers orientation relationships. The microstructure of each of these regions is an ensemble of laths of the α phase of identical orientation, separated by small-angle dislocation boundaries. After quenching of zirconium pseudo-single crystal from the temperature of 960°C in a 10% NaCl solution, the packet structure of the α phase survives; however, the lath sizes decrease several times.