b'Project Description: then heated to approximately 400C.Figure 2. Optical micrographs of The first objective of the researchThe partial pressure in the quartzzirconium hydrides in recrystallized was to artificially age or degradetube was monitored while the samplezircaloy-2 cladding. Zircaloy cladding through a hydrogenwas heated, and the temperature charging process. Sections of Zircaloywas held at 400C until the pressure cladding were cut into 8-inch sectionsapproached the 10-5 Torr value and polished with an Emory clothindicating that all of the hydrogen had to remove the native oxide from thebeen absorbed in the metal matrix. outside of the cladding. The claddingThe sample was then removed from segments were then placed into athe furnace. The sample was sectioned sealed quartz tube and brought to aaccording to the diagram shown vacuum of 10-5 Torr. Partial pressuresin Figure 1 resulting in 9 samples of pure hydrogen gas were thenwhich can be used for hot vacuum introduced into the quartz tube basedextraction, 7 samples which can be on the volume of the tube and theused for metallography mounts, and desired final concentration of hydrides8 samples which can be used for in the metal matrix. The samples weremechanical testing. 2019|AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS 139'