Influence of the manufacturing processes on the corrosion of Zr-1.1Nb-0.05Cu alloy

To obtain a good corrosion resistance for a Zr-1.1Nb-0.05Cu alloy, various manufacturing processes were applied, and corrosion and a microstructural analysis were performed. This alloy was manufactured by applying four types of manufacturing processes controlled by a combination of the annealing temperature and reduction schedule. The corrosion resistance was increased with a decreasing intermediate annealing temperature, and a decreasing the final annealing temperature. Since the size and distribution of precipitates was decreased by applying the low temperature annealing, the corrosion rate of the Zr-1.1Nb-0.05Cu alloy could be controlled by a coordination of the intermediate and final annealing conditions.