Compagnie Europeenne Du Zirconium Cezus

Cezus-compagnie Europeenne Du Zirconium

Gerard Dumas

Pierre Barberis

Gerard Bunel

A process for the manufacture of a sheet, band or strip of zirconium alloy or hafnium alloy, comprising hot roughing of an ingot into a blank, then hot rolling of this blank in the alpha domain, this hot rolling including several passes which follow one or more reheatings in a furnace at one or more temperatures (TR), each of which improves the formability of this blank, then cold rolling which consists of one or more cycles of rolling pinch passing/heat treatment. The hot rolling pass following the last furnace reheating is followed by reheating of the hot rolled blank by at least 100.degree. C. at more than 4.degree. C./s by infrared heating means with a wavelength between 0.8 and 5 micrometers. The hot rolling is then continued until the thickness at the end of the hot rolling is less than or equal to 0.8 times the thickness of the hot rolled blank. The product obtained is used for the manufacture of zirconium or hafnium alloy parts for water-type nuclear reactors.

Process for the manufacture of a flat product of zirconoum alloy or

A process for the manufacture of a flat product of zirconium alloy having a width between 50 and 600 mm from a flat cold rolled product. The cold rolled product is heated to the beta range and maintained in the beta range using an infra-red heating device with a wavelength of between 0.8 and 5 microns, the maximum temperature difference over the width of the product being less than 35.degree. C. The product is then rapidly cooled and optionally annealed to obtain a flat product, which can be a strip, sheet or band.

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Albertville, France

Gerard Dumas