Material characteristics

Key physical properties

Density 6.52 g/cm ³

Melting point 1852 ℃

Tensile strength 345 MPa (annealed state)

Thermal conductivity 22 W/(m · K)

Thermal expansion coefficient 5.8 × 10 ⁻⁶/℃ (20-100 ℃)

Main application areas

(1) Nuclear industry (core use)

Nuclear fuel cladding: Zirconium alloy plates (such as Zr-4) are processed into fuel rod cladding tubes to prevent nuclear fuel leakage.

Reactor pressure vessel lining: resistant to high temperature and radiation corrosion.

Control rod guide groove: utilizing the extremely low neutron absorption properties of zirconium.

(2) Chemical equipment

Acid resistant reactor and heat exchanger plates: resistant to hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, etc. (excluding hydrofluoric acid).

Electrolytic cell electrode plate: used in chlor alkali industry or hydrometallurgy.

(3) Aerospace and Military Industry

High temperature components of rocket engines, such as combustion chamber liners.

Submarine pressure hull material (zirconium alloy resistant to seawater corrosion).

(4) Medical implants

Orthopedic or dental implants (requiring biocompatibility treatment).

Processing and usage precautions

(1) Processing technology

Cutting: Laser cutting or waterjet cutting (to avoid carbon pollution).

Welding: Inert gas protection (such as argon arc welding) is required to prevent oxidation.

Cold forming: Zirconium plate has good plasticity, but significant rebound, and processing allowance needs to be reserved.

(2) Usage restrictions

Hydrofluoric acid (HF): can severely corrode zirconium plates and should be avoided.

High temperature oxidation: Zirconia (ZrO ₂) is generated on the surface at temperatures greater than 600 ℃, which affects welding and strength.

Impurity control: Nuclear grade zirconium plates must strictly limit the content of impurities such as hafnium (Hf) and carbon (C).