Reactor-Grade (Low-Hafnium) Zirconium 
Products 
INGOTS Treatment Size 
Price 
Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp. * 
Zr and Zircaloy Conditioned 
ingots 
Carborundum Metals Co., Inc. 
Zr and Zircaloy Double are melted; 
16 in. dia. 
800-2,200 Ib; 12 or 
400-600 Ib; min. 
$23/lb, f.o.b. Water- 
vliet, N. Y. 
$23.07 /lb, f.o.b. Akron, 
<0.015 wt% Hf machined or arc order 500 lb Nese 
conditioned; Brinell 
hardness = 150 
Firth Sterling, Inc. 
Zr or alloy 12 in. dia., up to <50 lb, $23.07/Ib 
750 Ib 
National Research Corp. 
Zr and Zr-base Double melted Up to 25 lb Price on request 
alloys on special (Cu skull, consum- 
order able electrode) 
Are melted, poured Up to 50 Ib Price on request 
SPONGE Spec's Price 
Carborundum Metals Co., Inc. 
Zr Through 3g in. on 20 mesh; 
<0.015 wt% Hf  Brinell hardness = 150 max on 
arc-melted test ingot; max im- 
purities <0.12% 
1-74 lb, $22.00/lb; 75-600, 
$18.00; 600-3,000, $15.00; 
>3,000, $14.00; f.o.b. Akron, 
Ne YY: 
POWDER Spec’s 
Price 
Carborundum Metals Co., Inc. 
Zr 20 mesh and finer; Oo, No, He 
<0.02 wt% Hf content higher than in sponge, 
other impurities similar 
<75 lb, $8.35/lb; 75-500, $7.30; 
> 500, $6.40; f.o.b. Akron, N. Y. 
CHEMICALS 
Price 
Carborundum Metals Co., Inc. 
ZrO> 
<300 ppm Hf 
Kawecki Chemical Co. 
ZrO:z 
25,000 lb, $6.10/lb; 25,000-50,- 
000, $4.00; >50,000, $3.50; 
f.o.b. Akron, N. Y. 
$2.20/ib on contract basis (price 
dependent on contracted output 
of 75,000 lb of oxide per month) 
FABRICATED PRODUCTS Spec’s 
Price 
Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp.*(unalloyed Zr and Zircaloy) 
Forgings and Slabs or sheet 
rolled bar bars 
(annealed Rounds, squares, 
and descaled) etc. (14-8 in.) 
Strip—hot Square edge 
rolled and/or Heavy-gage 0.157-0.187 in. thick, 
cold rolled strip 3g-41¢ in. wide 
(annealed Flat bar 0.188-0.300 in. thick, 
and descaled) 
Universal edge 
Heavy-gage 0.157-0.187 in. thick, 
strip 3-10 in. wide 
Flat bar 0.157-1.000 in. thick, 
3-10 in. wide 
Sheared edge 
Standard cold- 
rolled strip 
274-416 in. wide 
0.156-0.005 in. thick, 
up to 24 in. wide 
$25/lb, f.o.b. Watervliet 
or Dunkirk, N. Y. 
$31-25/Ib, f.0.b. Water- 
vliet or Dunkirk 
$29.50-32.00/lb, f.0.b. 
W. Leechburg, Pa. 
$29.50-32.00/Ib, f.o.b. 
W. Leechburg 
$28-30/Ib, f.o.b. W. 
Leechburg, Pa. 
$28-30/lb, f.0.b. W. 
Leechburg 
$31-47.50/lb, f.o.b. W. 
Leechburg, Pa. 
* Fabrication and melting also done on conversion basis. 
Fe, Ni, and Cr are beneficial. Al- 
though Sn decreases the corrosion re- 
sistance of pure Zr, it counteracts the 
effects of nitrogen in sponge. Addi- 
tions of 0.1-0.5 wt% Fe, Ni, or Cr im- 
prove corrosion resistance by delaying 
post-breakaway corrosion in high-tem- 
perature water and steam. In ternary 
alloys, Fe, Ni, or Cr substantially im- 
prove the corrosion resistance of Zr-Sn. 
Zircaloys 
Work with Sn, Fe, Ni, and Cr led to 
development of the Zircaloys. These 
were discussed by Stanley Kass and 
D. E. Thomas (Westinghouse Electric 
Corp.), and E. T. Hayes (Bureau of 
Mines). 
The Zircaloys are made with sponge- 
Zr base and Sn, Fe, Ni, and Cr added 
in various combinations. The com- 
positions are—Zircaloy-1: 24 wt% Sn; 
Zircaloy-2: 0.15 wt % Sn, 0.12 wt % Fe, 
0.05 wt % Ni, 0.10 wt % Cr; Zircaloy-3: 
0.25 wt% Sn, 0.25 wt % Fe. 
Although the mechanical properties 
of the Zircaloys are poorer than some 
of the other possible structural mate- 
rials (see Table 1), it is their corrosion 
resistance that is important for reactor 
application. 
In building a reactor, selection of the 
particular Zircaloy composition de- 
pends on the particular application—it 
is not necessary to use Zircaloy-2 or -3. 
Within limits (0.1-5 wt% Sn; up to 
1.1 wt% Fe, Ni, and/or Cr), corrosion 
resistance can be traded for strength. 
The corrosion behavior of Zircaloy-1 
did not come up to expectations. 
However, Zircaloy-2 meets the four 
conditions previously stated—its cor- 
rosion resistance approaches and, under 
some conditions, exceeds that of the 
purest, unalloyed Zr. Zircaloy-3 is the 
most recently developed member of the 
family. Sufficient data for complete 
evaluation are not yet available. 
Zircaloy-2. The corrosion behavior 
of Zircaloy-2 is relatively insensitive to 
prior heat treatment and to slight vari- 
ation in the concentrations of alloying 
elements. 
The corrosion effect of nitrogen, 
deleterious at lower concentrations, 1s 
more pronounced as exposure time 
increases. After 70 days in 750° F 
steam, the effect is noted at 190 ppm; 
after 140 days, effect is observed at 120 
ppm. Thus the permissible amount of 
nitrogen depends on the application. 
Similar phenomena were observed for 
Al and Cu; 100 ppm Pb, 50 ppm Mn, 
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