Experimental phase diagram Fe-Sn-Zr. New results of the isothermal cut of 800 °C

The Zr-based alloys are extensively applied in the field of nuclear technology. Alloyed with Sn and Fe, Zr is the main element in the zircaloy-type alloys, currently vastly used as structural elements and as containers of burnable elements in nuclear reactors. This ternary metallurgical system is also a component of more recently developed alloys such as Zirlo (USA). Although Zr is a major component in all of them, it is most important to know the phase diagrams of their components as best as possible. The Fe-Sn-Zr phase diagram has been systematically studied by our research team for many years. Considerable advancement has been made in the design of the phase diagram at 800 degrees C, however, some regions in the Gibbs triangle are still unsolved. In order to evaluate these regions experimentally, a ternary alloy set was designed and prepared. These alloys were thermally treated at the chosen temperature for 2928 hours, and characterized by applying metallography techniques, X-ray diffraction and microanalysis. The presence of Y and Fe6Sn6Zr was confirmed, the presence of phase X" was verified, and 2- and 3-phase existence fields were determined. Finally, phase balance boundaries in the regions under study were traced, completing, to a great extent, the phase diagram for the isothermal cut analysed.