The continuous cooling transformation behaviour of zirconium-niobium-oxygen alloys

Abstract

The continuous cooling transformation behaviour of zirconium alloys containing up to 5 at% niobium and 3 at% (5300 ppm) oxygen has been examined using thermal analysis and metallographic techniques. Two types of reactions were found; nucleation and growth reactions which showed the familiar C-curve kinetics, and the athermal martensite reaction. The nucleation and growth reactions were identified as the formation of α-zirconium at the β-grain boundaries and the transformation βzr → αZr+βNb throughout the grains. Increasing niobium content lowered the temperature and increased the time required to obtain the thermal arrests. Increasing oxygen raised the temperature of both reactions and caused grain boundary nucleation to occur sooner and nucleation within the grains to occur later. The martensite start temperature was not affected by oxygen but decreased linearly with niobium content. Clustering of solute atoms within the β-phase has been suggested by other workers. The results show that this must be an equilibrium condition. Clusters will not disperse with increased solution time as previously proposed.