Abstract
The deformation kinetics of zirconium and Zircaloy-2 strips, resulting from oxidation at 500°C in dry oxygen, were measured as a function of time. The stress distribution in the oxidized specimens was analyzed using a stress model based on the theory of elasticity and was correlated with the oxidation kinetics. The magnitude of the stress generated during oxidation differed significantly between zirconium and Zircaloy-2; while a simple linear relationship appeared to exist between the stress and the oxide thickness on zirconium, the stresses in oxides on Zircaloy-2 increased very rapidly and discontinuously to a maximum at a film thickness near the transition in the kinetic curve. In order to characterize the stress distribution in the oxide film, vacuum annealing experiments were performed on preoxidized specimens. These indicated that the stress relaxation which occurs during vacuum annealing resulted from dissolution in the metal of the highly stressed inner layers of the oxide film. Although these measurements have provided valuable information on the stresses generated during the oxidation of zirconium and Zircaloy-2, they do not require a causal relationship between the stresses and any oxidation process (e.g., transition).
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Roy, C., Burgess, B. A study of the stresses generated in zirconia films during the oxidation of zirconium alloys. Oxid Met 2, 235–261 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00614620
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00614620