Oxidation and Mechanical Behavior of Cr-Coated Laser Beam Welds Made from E110 Zirconium Alloy

Abstract

This article describes the oxidation resistance of laser beam welds made from E110 zirconium alloy with a chromium coating obtained using multi-cathode magnetron sputtering. Oxidation tests of the welded Zr alloy without and with Cr coating were performed in an air atmosphere at 1100 °C for 2–90 min. Then, analysis of their cross-section microstructure in different regions (weld, heat-affected, and bulk zones) was done using optical microscopy. Hardness measurements and three-point bending tests demonstrated the hardening of the Cr-coated welded Zr alloy after the oxidation that is discussed in the article. Brittle fracture behavior was observed for uncoated Zr weld even after a short period of high-temperature oxidation.

Hydrogenation Behavior of Cr-Coated Resistance Upset Welds of E110 Zirconium Alloy

“…The hardness of the uncoated and Cr-coated RUW specimens is shown in Table 2. The hardness of the as-received RUW E110 alloy had a uniform distribution, and the obtained values of hardness were comparable with that of E110 zirconium alloy (~180 HV) [33]. According to Table 2, the magnetron deposition of the Cr coating on the outer surface of the RUW E110 alloy did not affect its hardness using the applied deposition parameters.…”