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<p>Zirconium is used in the nuclear sector due to its low neutron absorption properties. Alloying elements must be added and combined with thermomechanical processing (TMP) to impart the necessary properties for this application. To enhance the performance of these alloys in service, optimizing new compositions and their processing is essential. This study investigates the effect of manganese on crystallographic texture as a partial replacement for Nb in a Zr–Nb alloy. Alloys with compositions of Zr–0.9Nb–0.1Mn, Zr–0.8Nb–0.2Mn, and Zr–0.6Nb–0.4Mn were hot and cold-rolled to produce sheets, followed by final annealing. The distribution of strains through the thickness of the sheets was assessed using computational simulation. Bulk crystallographic texture was measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) at key stages of TMP, while microstructure and the fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGB) were characterized using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results indicate that increasing the Mn content did not promote certain desirable crystallographic texture characteristics, including: the absence of significant texture development during hot rolling, basal pole tilt towards the transverse direction (TD) during cold rolling, and the persistence of this tilt after annealing, accompanied by a reduction in texture intensity from 6.7 to 3.7. Conversely, the Zr–0.9Nb–0.1Mn alloy exhibited a crystallographic texture development closer to that of Zr–1Nb, resulting in a higher fraction of basal poles oriented parallel to the normal direction (ND) of the sheet, with a Kearns factor <i>f</i><sub>ND</sub> = 0.4726. EBSD analyses indicated that the Zr–0.6Nb–0.4Mn alloy presented a fully recrystallized microstructure with an HAGB fraction of 0.912, while the Zr–0.9Nb–0.1Mn alloy exhibited a bimodal microstructure with an HAGB fraction of 0.588. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed two types of precipitates: <i>β</i>-Nb, which is typical in Zr–Nb alloys, and Mn<sub>2</sub>Nb, present in all compositions. The results suggest that Mn addition close to 0.1 wt pct is promising for the development of new zirconium alloys for nuclear applications.</p>

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Influence of Mn on the Evolution of the Crystallographic Texture in Zr–Nb-Based Alloys

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月31日

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  • Bernardo Pompermayer Eduardo,
  • Rafaella Martins Ribeiro,
  • Adriana da Cunha Rocha,
  • Paula Mendes Jardim,
  • Loïc Malet

摘要

Zirconium is used in the nuclear sector due to its low neutron absorption properties. Alloying elements must be added and combined with thermomechanical processing (TMP) to impart the necessary properties for this application. To enhance the performance of these alloys in service, optimizing new compositions and their processing is essential. This study investigates the effect of manganese on crystallographic texture as a partial replacement for Nb in a Zr–Nb alloy. Alloys with compositions of Zr–0.9Nb–0.1Mn, Zr–0.8Nb–0.2Mn, and Zr–0.6Nb–0.4Mn were hot and cold-rolled to produce sheets, followed by final annealing. The distribution of strains through the thickness of the sheets was assessed using computational simulation. Bulk crystallographic texture was measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) at key stages of TMP, while microstructure and the fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGB) were characterized using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results indicate that increasing the Mn content did not promote certain desirable crystallographic texture characteristics, including: the absence of significant texture development during hot rolling, basal pole tilt towards the transverse direction (TD) during cold rolling, and the persistence of this tilt after annealing, accompanied by a reduction in texture intensity from 6.7 to 3.7. Conversely, the Zr–0.9Nb–0.1Mn alloy exhibited a crystallographic texture development closer to that of Zr–1Nb, resulting in a higher fraction of basal poles oriented parallel to the normal direction (ND) of the sheet, with a Kearns factor fND = 0.4726. EBSD analyses indicated that the Zr–0.6Nb–0.4Mn alloy presented a fully recrystallized microstructure with an HAGB fraction of 0.912, while the Zr–0.9Nb–0.1Mn alloy exhibited a bimodal microstructure with an HAGB fraction of 0.588. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed two types of precipitates: β-Nb, which is typical in Zr–Nb alloys, and Mn2Nb, present in all compositions. The results suggest that Mn addition close to 0.1 wt pct is promising for the development of new zirconium alloys for nuclear applications.