Variant selection and transformation texture in zirconium alloy Excel

The crystallographic texture and variant selection during phase transformations in zirconium alloy Excel (Zr-3.5% Sn-0.8% Mo-0.8% Nb) was investigated. It was shown that upon water-quenching from αZr + βZr or fully βZr regions, variant selection occurs during βZr → α′Zr martensitic transformation. Also during air-cooling from the αZr + βZr region, only a partial memory effect and some transformation texture with variant selection was observed which is contrary to previous reports on zirconium alloys heat treated in the αZr + βZr region.