Zirconium rod

Brand: ZR60702, high purity zirconium

Purity: ≥99.6%, ≥99.99%

Standard: ASTM B550, ASTM B551, GB/T21183-2007

Production specifications: Φ5.0~Φ200mm

Status: Rolling, Forging

Melting point: 1852℃

Zirconium rod application fields:

Petrochemical, electrical and electronics, aerospace, etc.

Introduction to Zirconium

      Zirconium alloy has good corrosion resistance, moderate mechanical properties, and a low atomic thermal neutron absorption cross-section (zirconium is 0.18 meter) in high-temperature and high-pressure water and steam at 300-400℃. It has good compatibility with nuclear fuel. Therefore, it can be used as a core structural material (fuel clad, pressure tube, bracket and hole tube) for water-cooled nuclear reactors. This is the main purpose of zirconium alloy.

Zirconium has excellent corrosion resistance to a variety of acids (such as hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and acetic acid), alkalis and salts, so zirconium alloys are also used to make corrosion-resistant components and pharmaceutical devices. Zirconium has a strong affinity with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen, so zirconium alloys are also widely used as non-evaporative gas degassing agents in the electric vacuum and bulb industries. Zirconium has excellent luminous properties, which also makes it a flash and fireworks material.

Zirconium and zirconium alloys have good plasticity and can be made into pipes, plates, bars and wires, among which pipes are the main products. The processing technology of zirconium and zirconium alloys depends on the basic properties of zirconium and the special requirements of nuclear reactors for zirconium components. The basic properties of zirconium are: they are easily contaminated by oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, etc., they are easily sticky to the mold, and have homogeneous and heterocrystal transformation.

Zirconium and zirconium alloys have good welding properties. Commonly used welding methods include tungsten electrode argon arc welding and electron beam welding. Large diameter thin-walled pipes are commonly manufactured by welding. Zirconium powder chips are flammable, so be careful when grinding and cutting zirconium products.

Zirconium alloys are corrosion-resistant and biocompatible, so they can be used to implant into the body. In medicine, Zr-2.5Nb alloy can be made into knee or hip implants, a zirconium alloy material that reduces friction, increases wear resistance, while maintaining overall performance (manufacturability, fracture toughness and ductility), providing a good solution for medical implants.

The requirements for nuclear reactors for zirconium components are high dimensional accuracy, strict microstructure requirements and stable performance. The most widely used main processes of seamless zirconium tube processing are: preparation of consumable electrodes, melt casting, forging, hot extrusion (tube blank), cold processing, and finishing.