Origin and effect of lateral cracks in oxide scales formed on zirconium alloys
Journal article, 2012

Two varieties of Zircaloy-2, with different second phase particle (SPP) size distributions and different corrosion resistance, were oxidized in a steam autoclave. Transmission electron microscopy was used for investigation of the fine-scale lateral cracks present in the oxide scales. Crack quantification was performed and the number of cracks was correlated with the number of SPPs. A mechanism for crack formation is presented, in which the driving force is the local tensile stresses in the oxide close to the oxide/metal interface, and the initiation sites are un-oxidized SPPs located within this stress field.

lateral cracks

TEM

SPP

Zircaloy-2

Author

Pia Tejland

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Microscopy and Microanalysis

Hans-Olof Andrén

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Microscopy and Microanalysis

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Materials Microstructure

Journal of Nuclear Materials

0022-3115 (ISSN)

Vol. 430 1-3 64-71

Areas of Advance

Energy

Materials Science

Subject Categories

Metallurgy and Metallic Materials

Corrosion Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.jnucmat.2012.06.039

More information

Created

10/7/2017