In-situ oxidation and short-time corrosion investigation on strain and dislocation during the generation and growth of ZrO2

- Strain, defects and crystal orientation relationship in the initial oxidation stage of zirconium alloy were investigated.
- An In-situ oxidation test and a short time exposure corrosion test were carried out.
- Compressive strain between semi-coherent planes of m, t and c-ZrO2 was detected in a range from 0.3% to 6%.
- Tensile strain in c-ZrO2 was detected in a range from 0 to 1.34%.

An In-situ oxidation test and a short time exposure corrosion test of Zircaloy-4 were carried out. A lot of dislocations generated in the nucleation and growth process of ZrO2 are observed. Dislocations will be firstly distributed at the interface of ZrO2. With the growth of m-ZrO2 grains, the number of dislocations at the interface increases. When the grain size of ZrO2 reaches a critical value, the dislocations in the grains of ZrO2 begin to appear. A compressive strain between semi-coherent planes of oxides was detected in a range from −0.3% to −6%.