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%.