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<p>Fretting wear caused by flow induced vibration (FIV) is one of the main reasons for the failure of pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel cladding. To enhance the fretting wear resistance of zirconium (Zr) alloys, surface modification treatment was applied using QPQ nitriding technology at varying temperatures. The fretting wear behaviour of Zr alloys and QPQ samples was investigated under atmospheric and boron-lithium aqueous environments using a self-built fretting wear testing equipment. The results indicate that a gradient structure comprising an oxide layer and a co-diffusion layer of N and O formed on the Zr alloy surface following QPQ treatment. This is primarily due to the oxygen element in the QPQ nitride salt inhibiting the formation of the ZrN phase. The thickness of the oxide layer increases with rising QPQ treatment temperatures. The thickness of the N and O co-diffusion layer reached 100&#xa0;μm. The high hardness of the oxide layer and its excellent resistance to plastic deformation significantly enhance the fretting wear resistance of Zr alloys. Among these, the QPQ550 sample demonstrated the most favorable resistance to fretting wear under both atmospheric and boron-lithium aqueous conditions. Compared to Zr alloy substrates, wear volume decreased by 78.55% and 88.30% respectively. These findings can offer new insights into the development and application of Zr alloy surface modification.</p>

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Study on the QPQ nitriding mechanism and fretting wear behaviour of Zr alloy surfaces

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月6日

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  • Chuangming Ning,
  • Guocan Tang,
  • Quanyao Ren,
  • Junbo Zhou,
  • Zhenbing Cai

摘要

Fretting wear caused by flow induced vibration (FIV) is one of the main reasons for the failure of pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel cladding. To enhance the fretting wear resistance of zirconium (Zr) alloys, surface modification treatment was applied using QPQ nitriding technology at varying temperatures. The fretting wear behaviour of Zr alloys and QPQ samples was investigated under atmospheric and boron-lithium aqueous environments using a self-built fretting wear testing equipment. The results indicate that a gradient structure comprising an oxide layer and a co-diffusion layer of N and O formed on the Zr alloy surface following QPQ treatment. This is primarily due to the oxygen element in the QPQ nitride salt inhibiting the formation of the ZrN phase. The thickness of the oxide layer increases with rising QPQ treatment temperatures. The thickness of the N and O co-diffusion layer reached 100 μm. The high hardness of the oxide layer and its excellent resistance to plastic deformation significantly enhance the fretting wear resistance of Zr alloys. Among these, the QPQ550 sample demonstrated the most favorable resistance to fretting wear under both atmospheric and boron-lithium aqueous conditions. Compared to Zr alloy substrates, wear volume decreased by 78.55% and 88.30% respectively. These findings can offer new insights into the development and application of Zr alloy surface modification.