Research on the Preparation Process of Zr-Nb Alloy Ingot
Through experiments,the effects of three Nb element distribution methods including uniform mixing of pure niobium and sponge zirconium,double-layer and single-layer distribution of pure niobium in the middle of sponge zirconium,and melting times including two,three and four rounds of melting on the production process of Zr-Nb alloy ingots were compared.The results show that all three Nb element distribution methods can produce Zr-Nb ingots with similar composition uniformity.Among them,the uniform mixing method of pure niobium and sponge zirconium is prone to defects such as niobium chips sticking to the mold and electrode blocks becoming loose.The production efficiency of pure niobium double-layer fabric method is relatively low.The pure niobium single-layer distribution method has a simple process and high production efficiency.The uniformity of Nb elements in the ingots prepared by three rounds of melting using pure niobium single-layer distribution method is slightly worse than that of four rounds of melting.However,three rounds of melting have the advantages of low cost and high production efficiency,which is optimal for the entire production process.
Zr-Nb alloy ingotfabric methodmelting timespreparation process