Metallurgy of Thorium, Thorium Alloys [Declassified]

94 Pages·1951·13.55 MB·English

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- Contract No. W-7405, eng-26
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I INTERIM REPORT ON METALLURGY'O F THORIUM
I AND THORIUM ALLOYS
TbiSdlXUUlCdb
pUBLICLY l2E-m
I 4
! G3w . METALLURGY DIVISION
Autho~ngo fficial
J. H. Frye, Jr., Director
=Date; 3 lzZ/oG
Period Covered by Work: July 1, 1949 to JUIY 1, 1951
Work Carried Out By:
Mechanical Testing: W. D. Manly Welding: P. Patriarca .
R.' E. Adams R. E. Adams
D. E. Hamby
Alloy Development D. E. Hamby
Fabrication: J. H. Erwin and NaK Cycling:
R; E. Adams
Corrosion Testing: A. R. Olsen (Reactor Experi-
menta 1 Engineering Division)
Met a1l ography: R. J. Gray X-ray Diffraction: B. S. Borie
1
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1I rt Written By: D+E,Hamf L -C LASSIFICATION CANCELLED
Pf
l DATE MAR 4 1957
ate Issued
Availabl3 from the F QT~he Atomic Energy Cmm1srtan
DEC 7 1951
Office of Technical Services
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1 OAK RIDGE. NATIONAL LABORATORI
Operated by '
\ CARBIDE AND CARBON CHEMICAIS CQMPANY
A Division of Union Carbide and Carbon-Corporation
9 ,
- Post Office Box P I .
Oak Ridge, Tennessee +
LEGAL NOTICE
This report was prepared as an account of Government sponsored work. Neither the
Unikd States, nor the Cammidon, nor any penon acting on behalf of the Commission:
A. Makes my warmnty or repmentation, axpress or implied, with respect to the ac-
curacy, completeness, or usefulness of the Information contained in this report, or that the
use of any tnformation, appamtus, methad, or process disclosed tn this report my not in-
fringa privately owned righiss or
1). Assumes any liabilities with rrrpect to the use of, or for damages resulting fmm the : . ;he
use of any infomation, appamtus, method, or process disclored in this report. ~
As used in the above, "'person acting on behalf of the CommissionN includes any cm- U.N. C.L.A SSIFIED~
ployee or contmctor of the Commission to the extent that such employee or contmctor
prepres, hondler or distrfbutes, or provider access to, any information punwnt )o his cm- .. .. . .. ..
ployment or contmct with the Commission.
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DISTRIBUTION -LIST;'
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ORNL 1090
4 I
LLURGY AND CERAMICS
INTERNAL
1. G. T. Felbeck (C&CCC) 29 Z. Morgan
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2-3. Chemistry Library 3; S. Felton
4. Physics Library i A. S. Householder
5. Biology Library
r C. S. Harrill
6. Health Physics Library . C. E. Winters
7. Metallurgy Library D. S. Billington
8-9. Training School Library ,i. D. W. Cardwell
10-13. Central Files )6. E. M. King
14. C. E. Center 37. C. B. Ellis
15. C. E. Larson 38.'D. D. Cowen
16. W. B. Humes (K-25) 39. P. M. Reyli-ng
17. W. D. Lavers (Y-12) 40. J. H. Frye, Jr.
18. A. M. Weinberg 41.. D. E. Hamby
19. E. H. Taylor 42. J. A. Milko
20. E. D. Shipley 43. J. H. Erwin
21. F. C. VonderLage i 44. J. E. Cunningham
22. R. C. Briant 45. W. D. Manly
23. J. A. Swartout 46. L. K. Jetter
24. S. C. Lind 47. J. 0. Betterton. Jr.
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INTERIM "REPORT ON METALLURGY OF THORIUM AND THORIUM ALLOYS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ABSTRACT. -1
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"3 INTRODUCTION '-? 2
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-*-= CONCLUSIONS 3-4
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE, RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 5-75
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Methods of Production of Thorium
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5
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Ames Thorium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I Iodide Thorium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Westinghouse Thori.u.m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Physical Properties
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
II -'* Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-77
- - Crystal Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mechanical Properties 7-24
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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- 'Ames and Westinghouse Thorium
. . . - - - - - - 7-21
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8 t, Tensile Prope.r.ti.es. . . . .'. . . . . . . . .' . . . . . . . .* 7-10
I - Yield Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
i Torsion Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19
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i Impact Streng.th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-21
Iodide Thorium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-24
Work-Hardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25
Recrystallization 25-29
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ames Thorium . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-29
Iodide Thorium
29
.-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thermal Cycli.n.g .of. A.me.s .Th.or.i.um. i.n .Na.K.' . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29-36
Fabrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-45
iI General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-38
I 7 Extrusion 38-39
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Billet Temperatur.e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39-4433
Extrusion Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reduction Ratio
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43-4444
I Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
DieDesign
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 % Die and Mandrel Materials 44-45
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INTERIM REPORT ON METALLURGY OF THORIUM AND THORIUM ALLOYS
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Extrusion C.lad.d.ing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45-47
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? Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. e.. .. . 47 - 4% .
Welding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4% 50
Alloy Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. *.*... 51-72
Melting Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51-55
Testing Procedu.re.s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55-56
Alloy Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Th-Be.... . . . . . .* -. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Th-A1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56-60 4 Ir’
Th-Si . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I. 60-62
Th-Zr 62-63
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Th-Ti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63-65
Th -Cr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65-68
Th-Nb 68
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th-Mn 68-70
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th-Ce 70
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th-Si-Zr and T.h-T.i-.Zr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70-72
Corrosion Tests 72-75
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METALLOGRAPHY OF THORIUM 76
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. BIBLIOGRAPHY 77
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. APPENDIX 79-81
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1NTERIMrREPORT.ON METALLURGY OF THORIUM APD**THORIUMA LLOYS
LIST OF TABLES
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i 1 Modulus of Elastici.ty.,. P.oi.ss.on.'s. .Ra.ti.o,. a.n.d .Sh.ea.r .Mo.d.ul.us. . .
of Ames Thorium 11
. . . . . . . . .
! s 2 Conventional Tensile-Test Data for Ames Thorium 14
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. 3 Tensile-Test Data for Extruded Ames Thorium 15
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4 Vickers and Rockwell Hardness Ames Compression Test Bars 17
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i * T 5 Conventional Tensile-Test Data,for Westinghouse Thorium 19
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6 Ames Thorium . .C.on.ve.nt.io.n.al. T.en.si.le.-.Te.st. D.at.a .f.or. S.he.et.-M.et.al.
Specimen 21
. . . .
7 Effect of Strain Rate on Tensile Strength of Ames Thorium 24
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8 Shear Modulus of Thorium and Other Materials 24
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9 Impact Strength of Ames Thorium 24
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 10 Tensile Tests on Thorium Welds 50
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1 11 Hardness of Cast Thoriu.m. A.ll.oy.s .(.Al.l .Ha.rd.ne.ss. V.a.lu.es. . . . . .
i Rockwell "B" Scale) 56
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12 Thorium-Aluminum Alloys 59
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11 13 Thorium Silicon Alloys 63
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j z 14 Thorium-Zirconium Tensile-Test Data'. 63 ii
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15 Tensile-Test Data for Annealed Thorium-Chromium Alloys 68
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16 Data for Ternary Thorium Alloys 71
% 17 Corrosion Data for .Th.o.ri.um. a.nd. T.h.or.iu.m .Al.l.oy.s .in. 9.5' . .C . . . .
Distilled Water 75
- ..0L- APPENDIX
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*.a- . 1 Thearnmda5l OCOy"cCl.in.g o.f. A.me.s .Th.or.i.um. i.n .Na.K. b.et.we.en. .100.' .C. . ? . . 80
. . . . . . . . . . . .
2 Record of Extrusion of A 81
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INTERIM REPORT ON METALLURGY OF THORIUM AND THORIUM ALLOYS
LIST OF FIGURES
Page
1 Ames Thorium Tension and Compression Specimens, Showing the 8
. . . . . . . . . . . .' . .
SR-4, Type A-1 Strain Gages Attached
2 Experimental Setup fo.r .De.te.rm. i.na.ti.o.n .of. P.o.is.so.n.'s. R.a.ti.o .U.sin.g.
SR-4 Strain Gages 9
. . . . . . . . .
3 Data for Determination of Modulus of Elasticity 10
4 Fractured Tensile Specimen.s. o.f .Am.e.s T.h.or.iu.m .A.nn.e.al.ed. K. h.r . . .
I
a t 800' C Before Test 12
5 Fractured Ames Thorium. .Te.n.sil.e .S.pe.ci.m.en.s .An.n.ea.le.d .4! .hr. a.t. . .
800' C Before Test 13
6 Stress-Strain Curve for Ames Thorium (Spec. .A.-18.0).. . C.o.ld-. . . . .
rolled 35%, Annealed a t 750" C for 1 hr 16
. . .
7 Stress-Strain Curve for Ames Thorium in Compression Tests 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8 Compression Specimen of Ames Thorium 16
9 Stress-Strain Curve for Westingh.ou.se T.ho.ri.um. 6!. i.n.. S.qu.a.re .B.ars. . .
Annealed a t 750' C for 1 hr : 18
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' 10 Thorium Tension Test (Ames); Recorder . .F.ul.l R.an.ge.; .Lo.ad. . . . . .
Medium Low; Spec. No. 5; Annealed 20
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11. Thorium Tension Test (Ames); Recorddr .F.ul.l R.an.ge.; .Lo.ad. . . .
Medium Low; Spec. No. 9; Cold-rolled .\. 20
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12 Fractured Tensile Specimens of Annealed Ames Thorium 21
. . . . .
13 Fractured Tensile Specimens of Cold-rolled Ames Thorium 22
14 Effect of Elevsted T.em. p.er.at!u re. A. g.ing. U.po.n .Y.iel.d .P.oin.t .in. . . . . .
AmesThorium.. 23
15 Impact Energy for P.ure. .Am.es. T.h.or.ium. .St.an.d.ar.d .V.-N.otc.h. . . . . .
Charpy Specimens 25
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16 Fractured Chsrpy-Type Impact Specimens of Ames Thorium 26
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17 Iodide Thorium'Metal Prep.a red by the Van Arkel-De Boer Process 27
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