Spinodal Decomposition and Ordering Transformation in U-6 wt% Nb

摘要

Phase stability and aging mechanisms in a water-quenched (WQ) U-6wt% Nb (WQU6Nb) alloy artificially aged at 200 degrees C (16 hours) and naturally aged at room temperature for 15 years have been investigated. Age hardening/softening phenomenon is recorded from the artificially aged samples by microhardness measurement. The age hardening can be readily rationalized by the occurrence of spinodal decomposition (or fine-scaled Nb segregation), which results in the formation of a modulated structure in the aged samples. Prolonged aging leads to age softening of the alloy by coarsening of the modulated structure. Disorder-order or chemical ordering transformation is found within the naturally aged alloy according to TEM observations of antiphase domain boundaries (APBs) and superlattice diffraction patterns. The formation of a partially ordered phase in the naturally aged alloy is proposed and identified.