The Mechanism of Oxidation of Zirconium in the Temperature Range 400°–850°C

Abstract

A study of the oxidation mechanism for zirconium in the temperature range 400°–850°C, based on examination of the oxide scale growth and oxygen gradients in the metal substrate, is reported. The oxidation kinetics at long times obeyed a parabolic rate equation which was best described in terms of a diffusion model for oxygen diffusion in both the oxide and metal. From the determination of the oxygen gradients, the diffusion constant was evaluated for oxygen diffusion in alpha‐zirconium.