Abstract: A method is provided for preparing a cladding tube having an outer substrate, an intermediate zirconium barrier layer, and an inner liner. The method includes the following steps: (a) bonding an inner liner alloy sheath exterior circumferential surface to a zirconium sheath interior circumferential surface to form a barrier/inner liner sheath, and (b) bonding the exterior surface of the zirconium sheath on the barrier/inner liner sheath to the interior circumferential surface of an outer substrate alloy tube to form the cladding tube. Alternatively, the method includes the following steps: (a) bonding the zirconium sheath exterior circumferential surface to the outer substrate alloy tube interior circumferential surface to form a substrate tube/barrier sheath, and (b) bonding the exterior circumferential surface of the inner liner alloy sheath to the interior circumferential surface of the zirconium sheath of the substrate tube/barrier sheath to form said cladding tube.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cladding having an outer circumferential substrate, a zirconium barrier layer metallurgically bonded to the inside surface of the substrate and an inner circumferential liner metallurgically bonded to the zirconium barrier. The inner circumferential liner is more ductile than conventional Zircaloy. The low ductility of the inner circumferential liner is obtained by using a zirconium alloy containing a low tin content (e.g. less than 1.2% by weight) and/or a low oxygen content (e.g. less than 1000 ppm). The inner circumferential liner is less than about 25 micrometers thick.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing fuel channels made of zirconium-based alloy by combining heat treatment, warm forming and thermal sizing. Fuel channel strip material is heated to a temperature which initiates the transformation from a hexagonal close-packed to a body-centered cubic crystallographic phase and then quenched at a rate which initiates transformation to a hexagonal close-packed crystallographic phase having a texture factor f.sub.L =0.28-0.38. The heat-treated strips are formed into fuel channel components by bending at an elevated temperature sufficient to increase the ductility of the strip material. After the fuel channel components are welded together, the fuel channel is annealed by thermal sizing.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing components made of zirconium-based alloy by combining heat treatment with thermal sizing. The heat treatment includes heating the component to a temperature which initiates the transformation from a hexagonal close-packed crystallographic phase of uniform texture to a body-centered cubic crystallographic phase and then quenching to a quench temperature at a rate which initiates transformation to a hexagonal close-packed crystallographic phase having a texture factor f.sub.L =0.28-0.38. The thermal sizing includes heating the component to a temperature less than the quench temperature, but sufficient to anneal the component, and then cooling. Preferably, the thermal sizing is performed twice: before and after the heat treatment.

Abstract: Zirconium-base alloy channels and fuel cladding tubes having unique resistance to accelerated pustular corrosion in the boiling water reactor environment are produced by a heat treatment causing segregation of intermetallic particulate precipitate phase in two dimensional arrays preferably located along grain boundaries and subgrain boundaries throughout the alloy body.