4. Finishes and controls

After the final shaping and heat treatment operations, surface finishes can be applied, depending on the required surface finish. These may include simple brushing, pickling, polishing, sandblasting or machining. As with all material removal operations involving Zr and Hf, the potentially flammable nature of the particles created by these surface finishes must be taken into account.

Finished products (tubes, bars and flat products) undergo stringent quality controls. Non-destructive testing (visual, ultrasonic, eddy current) is carried out on 100% of products delivered. Destructive tests (microstructure, crystallographic texture, size and nature of precipitates, mechanical tests, corrosion tests, etc.) are carried out on a sampling basis to guarantee the stability of the various processes, as well as when modifying ranges or equipment.

Chemical...