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5 pages, 1438 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advances in Zr-Based Alloys

by Quan Dong and Jun Tan

Crystals 2024, 14(4), 351; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst14040351 - 07 Apr 2024

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Abstract

Due to outstanding mechanical properties [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Zr-Based Alloys)

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Research

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17 pages, 6925 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of Mechanical Properties for a Novel Zr–Ti–V Alloy via Hot-Rolling and Annealing Treatment

by Yiwei Liu, Kai Chen, Tianshuo Song, Bohan Chen, Qiang Li and Chaoqun Xia

Crystals 2022, 12(12), 1765; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst12121765 - 05 Dec 2022

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Abstract

In this experiment, an annealing treatment was carried out for a rolled Zr–Ti–8V alloy, and the toughening mechanism of the material was thoroughly analyzed by combining advanced material characterization and other testing methods. The phase composition of the Zr–Ti–8V alloy was sensitive to [...] Read more.

In this experiment, an annealing treatment was carried out for a rolled Zr–Ti–8V alloy, and the toughening mechanism of the material was thoroughly analyzed by combining advanced material characterization and other testing methods. The phase composition of the Zr–Ti–8V alloy was sensitive to the applied annealing temperature, while a series of changes in the phase composition of the alloy were induced by enforcing bigger thermal budgets. Implementing a temperature value of 450 °C led to a higher α-phase content, in striking contrast with the case where a lower annealing temperature of 400 °C was applied. The β grains that were stretched in the alloy’s rolling direction and annealed at 600 °C to 800 °C were recrystallized. As a result, the acquired configuration was equiaxed with β grains. The extracted results revealed that the alloy annealed at 450 °C showed a good strong–plastic ratio, with tensile strength and elongation of 1040 MPa and 8.2%, respectively. In addition, the alloy annealed at 700–800 °C showed good plasticity properties. From the hardness tests and friction wear experiments on all the experimental alloys, it was demonstrated that the dual-phase alloy with α + β had higher hardness and wear resistance, whereas the opposite trend was observed for the single β-phase alloy. Full article

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16 pages, 11118 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Oxidation Behavior of FeCoNiCrMo High-Entropy Coatings by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying on Zircaloy-4 in Steam at 1100 °C

by Lei Wen, Qing Li, Bixiao Yang, Zhennan Yang, Jianrui Wang and Peng Song

Crystals 2022, 12(11), 1529; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst12111529 - 27 Oct 2022

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Abstract

As a potential accident-tolerant fuel cladding material, we studied the method of preparing FeCoNiCrMo coatings on zircaloy-4 substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) technology to explore the high-temperature oxidation behavior of the FeCoNiCrMo coatings at 1100 °C in high-temperature steam. Various surface analysis [...] Read more.

As a potential accident-tolerant fuel cladding material, we studied the method of preparing FeCoNiCrMo coatings on zircaloy-4 substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) technology to explore the high-temperature oxidation behavior of the FeCoNiCrMo coatings at 1100 °C in high-temperature steam. Various surface analysis techniques such as X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the phase composition and microstructure of the oxidized products. The oxidation behavior of the FeCoNiCrMo coatings and the diffusion of the FeCoNiCrMo coatings to the zircaloy-4 substrates were analyzed. After oxidation at 1100 °C, a dense Cr₂O₃ oxide layer was formed on the coating’s surface, which grew from 1.5 to 3 μm after 15 to 60 min of oxidation, and the FeCoNiCrMo coatings and the substrates diffused simultaneously. The oxidation tests showed that the FeCoNiCrMo coatings prepared by APS can effectively delay the oxidation of zircaloy-4 substrates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Zr-Based Alloys)

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14 pages, 14452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quasi-In Situ EBSD Study of Anisotropic Mechanical Behavior and Associated Microstructure Evolution in Zircaloy-4

by Huanzheng Sun, Yan Zhang, Chao Sun, Bingcheng Li, Xiaoyong Zhu, Yihong Sun and Baifeng Luan

Crystals 2022, 12(10), 1489; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst12101489 - 20 Oct 2022

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Abstract

The anisotropic mechanical behavior and associated microstructure evolution in annealed Zircaloy-4 were investigated at room temperature, using quasi-in situ tensile tests along the typical direction, rolling direction (RD), and transverse direction (TD). Herein, the in-grain misorientation axes (IGMA) and the nominal Schmid factors [...] Read more.

The anisotropic mechanical behavior and associated microstructure evolution in annealed Zircaloy-4 were investigated at room temperature, using quasi-in situ tensile tests along the typical direction, rolling direction (RD), and transverse direction (TD). Herein, the in-grain misorientation axes (IGMA) and the nominal Schmid factors were evaluated to analyze the slip mode based on the electron backscatter diffraction. The IGMA result shows that there were anisotropic slip modes within grains, whose basal poles were parallel with the TD (TB) and placed within 40 to 50 degrees from the normal direction (ND) to the transverse direction (N (40°–50°) TB)), under different loading directions. When loading along the RD, the basal <a> slips were activated in the N (40°–50°) TB and TB orientation grains, while the second-order pyramidal slips were activated in the grains when loading along the TD. The relatively higher ultimate tensile strength and elongation in Zircaloy-4 when tensile along RD occurs due to its much higher frequency of soft grains (88.54%) than the TD sample (64.29%), and the synergy deformation among local grains. The present study demonstrated that the anisotropic mechanical behavior of Zircaloy-4 was attributed to the combined effects that exist between the anisotropic slip behavior and the different compatible deformation capabilities. Many shallow dimples and cleavage regions were observed on the fracture surface in the TD sample. Such fracture features are consistent with the lower ultimate tensile strength ~470 MPa and elongation ~14.5% in the deformed tensile Zircaloy-4 along the TD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Zr-Based Alloys)

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10 pages, 4263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Al Content on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Zr-Co-Al Alloy Prepared by Rapid Solidification

by Zixiang Wu, Wenfei Lu, Caiju Li, Peng Gao, Xin You and Jun Tan

Crystals 2022, 12(10), 1483; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst12101483 - 19 Oct 2022

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Abstract

The Zr_50−x/2Co_50−x/2Al_x (x = 0, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) alloy sheets were prepared by copper mold suction casting, and the effect of Al content on the mechanical properties and the strengthening mechanism was thoroughly investigated. With Al [...] Read more.

The Zr_50−x/2Co_50−x/2Al_x (x = 0, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) alloy sheets were prepared by copper mold suction casting, and the effect of Al content on the mechanical properties and the strengthening mechanism was thoroughly investigated. With Al addition, a Zr₅Co₇Al₃ intermetallic compound formed and precipitated at the grain boundaries or inside the grains, which produced strong synergistic effects of secondary phase strengthening, fine grain strengthening and solid solution strengthening. However, the precipitation of intermetallic compounds can lead to the formation of shrinkage cavities at grain boundaries, and the negative effect of adding too much Al is greater than the strengthening effect, resulting in a gradual decrease in strength. Therefore, the best synergistic strengthening effect is achieved when the Al content is 5 at.%, the grain size of the alloy is reduced from 60 μm to 4 μm, and the room temperature tensile strength is increased from 240 MPa to 464 MPa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Zr-Based Alloys)

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17 pages, 3844 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Investigation of Phase Equilibria in the Ti—Al—Zr System at 1000–1300 °C

by Zahra Kahrobaee, Boryana Rashkova, Katja Hauschildt and Martin Palm

Crystals 2022, 12(9), 1184; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst12091184 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1490

Abstract

Four partial isothermal sections of the Ti—Al—Zr system up to 60 at. % Al and 30 at. % Zr were experimentally established between 1000–1300 °C. Six heat-treated alloys were analysed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, conventional and high-energy [...] Read more.

Four partial isothermal sections of the Ti—Al—Zr system up to 60 at. % Al and 30 at. % Zr were experimentally established between 1000–1300 °C. Six heat-treated alloys were analysed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, conventional and high-energy X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal analysis. Phase equilibria were determined between B2-ordered (β₀), βTi,Zr, αTi, Ti₃Al, TiAl, and ZrAl₂. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Zr-Based Alloys)

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7 pages, 5082 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trapping Capability of Small Vacancy Clusters in the α-Zr Doped with Alloying Elements: A First-Principles Study

by Rongjian Pan, Aitao Tang, Jiantao Qin, Tianyuan Xin, Xiaoyong Wu, Bang Wen and Lu Wu

Crystals 2022, 12(7), 997; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst12070997 - 18 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1082

Abstract

Zirconium alloys are subjected to a fast neutron flux in nuclear reactors, inducing the creation of a large number of point defects, both vacancy and self-interstitial. These point defects then diffuse and can be trapped by their different sinks or can cluster to [...] Read more.

Zirconium alloys are subjected to a fast neutron flux in nuclear reactors, inducing the creation of a large number of point defects, both vacancy and self-interstitial. These point defects then diffuse and can be trapped by their different sinks or can cluster to form larger defects, such as vacancy and interstitial clusters. In this work, the trapping capability of small-vacancy clusters (two/three vacancies, V₂/V₃) in the α-Zr doped with alloying elements (Sn, Fe, Cr, and Nb) has been investigated by first-principle calculations. Calculation results show that for the supercells of α-Zr containing 142-zirconium atoms with the two-vacancy cluster, alloying elements of Sn and Nb in the second vacant site (V2) and Cr in the first vacant site (V1) are more easily trapped by two vacancies, respectively. However, the two sites are both captured more easily by two vacancies for Fe in the supercells of α-Zr containing 142-zirconium atoms inside due to the similar value of the Fermi level. For the supercells of α-Zr containing 141-zirconium atoms with the three-vacancy cluster, the alloying element of Sn in the third vacant site (V’3), Fe in the first vacant site (V’1), and Cr and Nb in the second vacant site (V’2) are more easily trapped by three vacancies, respectively. Full article

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13 pages, 3550 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Partially Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Crystals Co-Doped with Neodymium, Cerium, Terbium, Erbium or Ytterbium Oxides

by Mikhail A. Borik, Alexey V. Kulebyakin, Elena E. Lomonova, Filipp O. Milovich, Valentina A. Myzina, Polina A. Ryabochkina, Natalia Y. Tabachkova, Natalia V. Sidorova and Artem S. Chislov

Crystals 2021, 11(12), 1587; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cryst11121587 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2650

Abstract

In this work, we studied the phase composition, local structure and mechanical characteristics of ZrO₂ crystals partially stabilized with Y₂O₃ and co-doped with Nd₂O₃, CeO₂, Er₂O₃, Tb₂O [...] Read more.

In this work, we studied the phase composition, local structure and mechanical characteristics of ZrO₂ crystals partially stabilized with Y₂O₃ and co-doped with Nd₂O₃, CeO₂, Er₂O₃, Tb₂O₃ and Yb₂O₃. Crystals were grown by directional melt crystallization in a cold container. The phase composition and structure of crystals were studied by X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. The study of the features of the incorporation of rare-earth cations with different ionic radii into the transformable (t) and nontransformable (t’) tetragonal phases was carried out by the method of selective laser spectroscopy and time-resolved spectroscopy. Mechanical characteristics such as microhardness and fracture toughness were studied by the indentation method. It is shown that the phase composition and structure of crystals at the same total concentration of doping oxides depends on the degree of substitution of Y³⁺ cations by rare-earth cations. Rare earth ions of the beginning of the lanthanide series predominantly occupy positions in the nontransformable tetragonal phase of crystals based on zirconium dioxide. Ions of the end of a series of lanthanides do not show selectivity when entering the transformable (t) phase and nontransformable (t’) phase. The study of the mechanical characteristics of the crystals showed that the values of fracture toughness increase with an increase in the ionic radius of the rare earth element of the co-doped oxide, while the values of the microhardness of the crystals slightly decrease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Zr-Based Alloys)

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