Behavior of atomic reactor zirconium cladding fuel rod tubes under extreme operating conditions.

The effect of zirconium alloy strength on stress corrosion cracking for cladding tubes prepared from these materials is studied. Structure-phase transformations and the nature of failure during high-temperature oxidation, i.e. simulation of critical situations with loss of heat carrier (LOCA) for zirconium cladding tubes, are studied. Areas are analyzed for improving zirconium cladding tubes for fuel rods intended for a new generation of heat generation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]