Instrumented Impact Testing of Zircaloy

Abstract

Coleman and Hardie's recent letter¹ on slow bend testing of hydrided zirconium poses some interesting questions with regard to the interpretation of the transition behaviour of zircaloy-2 (zirconium + 1.5 per cent tin) in impact tests. By instrumenting the Charpy machine to obtain the load/time relationship during fracture², the modes of brittle and ductile behaviour can be identified in a similar manner to slow bend testing. Using this technique, load/time curves have been obtained on hydrogen-free and hydrided (180 p.p.m. and 700 p.p.m.) zircaloy Charpy V specimens throughout the transition range.