Open AccessSTUDIES OF THE HYDROGEN DAMAGE MECHANISM IN THE CORROSION OF ZIRCONIUM
Author(s) -
R. D. Misch
Publication year - 1961
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/4039977
Subject(s) - corrosion , materials science , zirconium , platinum , metallurgy , alloy , titanium , hydrogen , nickel , zirconium alloy , oxide , oxidizing agent , cathodic protection , inorganic chemistry , electrochemistry , chemistry , biochemistry , organic chemistry , electrode , catalysis
It is difficult to evaluate the effect of cathodic elements on the corrosion of zirconium in water because of the low corrosion rate. By the addition of 0.5 wt% of titanium, however, the oxidation of zirconium to ZrO/sub 2/ in 350 deg C water is increased, permitting a better relative evaluation of the effect of different cathodic elements. Alloys contairing 0.1 wt% iron, nickel, copper or platinum in addition to 0.5 wt % titanium had lower corrosion rates than the 0.5 wt% titanium alloy alone. The largest improvement was derived from nickel and the least from platinum. The nickel alloy had the disadvantage of absorbing 90% of the corrosion hydrogen while the platinum alloy absorbed a negligible corrosion resistance and hydrcgen absorption. In the presence of oxidizing agents (CuSO/sub 4/, CdSO/sub 4/, I/sub 2/) the absorption of hydrogen diminished and corrosion resistance showed a further improvement. These results were interpreted to indicate that hydrogen may be damaging within the oxide as well as at the metal-oxide interface. Zirconium compacts, sintered with conducting dispersants, were inferior in corroston resistance to arc-melted zirconium. The cathodes were beneficial only by comparison with zirconium controls sintered under the same conditions. In complex alloys, cathodes may arise in a variety of ways and the corrosion resistance of the intermetallics may be of importance. (auth