Book Description

The corrosion behavior of uranium alloys containing up to about 6 weight percent zirconium has been studied in boiling distilled water. Alloys containing on the order of 5 or 6 weight percent zirconium form good protective oxide films under certain conditions. So long as the protective film covers the metal surface, corrosion rates less than one-thousandth that of uranium are characteristically obtained. The degree of permanence of such films has not been determined, although the film on one sample was observed to be still protective after three months exposure. Protective films are formed at temperatures at least as high as 155C.