Study of microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of Zr-2.5Nb alloy pressure tubes fabricated with different processing routes

Different fabrication trials involving the variation in three important stages of Zr-2.5Nb pressure tube were undertaken. The variations were with respect to the mode of breaking the cast structure of the ingot (forging vs extrusion), the hot extrusion ratio and the number of subsequent cold work stages to produce the finished tube. It was observed that the forging process resulted in superior performance in breaking the cast structure. Higher extrusion ratios resulted in more favorable texture and microstructure. More continuity of the beta phase was observed in the final microstructure for the route involving the single cold work step subsequent to hot extrusion.