Zirconium alloys are principally used in highly corrosive environments like nuclear reactors which have very specific conditions connected to the fuel burn up cycles and water chemistry.
Although corrosion resistance in these materials is superior, with adequate mechanical properties, and low thermal neutron cross-section, they are still prone in such harsh conditions to lifespan limiting corrosive forces.
Monthly Archives: March 2015
Severe Plastic Deformation of Metals
Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) is a constituent of metal forming processes which is primarily used to introduce ultra-high plastic strain into a bulk metal in order to create ultra-fine grain sizes.
Overall, improvements in hardness and yield stress can be observed with SPD and also superplastic behavior of these materials at lower temperatures and yet with higher deformation rates.
Cavitation Erosion
Cavitation Erosion is a localized form of erosion caused by repeated small or large impact pressures which lead to pitting, initially on a granular level.
Testing of resistance to cavitation erosion is a well-documented subject with the main measurement indicators being the change of cumulative erosion rate (The amount of mass losing in unit time) with time.
The AusIron Process
The AusIron process is a proprietary process developed primarily to tackle the task of directly smelting iron ore to produce pig iron.
Some key advantages of the AusIron process include among others, direct use of non-coking coals, simple and direct use of ferrous materials and a high quality metal product suitable for electrical and oxygen steel making.