2. Ingot production
2.1 Ingot smelting
As with other reactive or refractory metals, the melting of Zr or Hf and their alloys is dominated by the following features:
the very high reactivity of Zr or Hf towards air and most of the other gases already mentioned, which means they have to be melted in a vacuum or in an extremely pure neutral gas;
very high melting point: 1850°C for Zr and 2225°C for Hf ;
the aggressiveness of molten metal towards crucibles: it reduces or dissolves almost all known refractories, including graphite. At laboratory level, alloy fusions in a Yttrin crucible (Y 2 O 3-x ) have...
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Ingot production
Plastic deformation
Bibliography
Standardization
Most standards for zirconium and hafnium metal products, or alloys, are American ASTM standards. A few French standards also exist. Few standards concern hafnium.
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French standards
- Corrosion of metals and alloys – Aqueous corrosion testing of zirconium alloys used in nuclear reactors. - NF EN ISO 10270 - Juillet 2008
- Description and qualification...
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