Study on zirconium alloys

This report deals with a series of preliminary tests on zirconium and its alloys which has been carried out during the past 2 years in the authors' laboratory, preceeding the study on the applications of zirconium alloys to nuclear reactor that has recently been begun in the same laboratory. Work-hardening characteristics of pure zirconium and zircaloy-2 as well as some effects of heat-treatment on zircaloy-2 were investigated. Micrography of zirconium and its alloys by both optical and electron microscope was also studied by chemical etching method and the results obtained were satisfiable.