Deformation Mechanisms in Tube Billets from Zr-1%Nb Alloy under Radial Forging

Features of the deformation process by cold radial forging of tube billets from Zr-1%Nb alloy were reconstructed on the basis of X-ray data concerning their structure and texture. The cold radial forging intensifies grain fragmentation in the bulk of billet and increases significantly the latent hardening of potentially active slip systems, so that operation only of the single slip system becomes possible. As a result, in radially-forged billets unusual deformation and recrystallization textures arise. These textures differ from usual textures of alpha -Zr by the mutual inversion of crystallographic axes, aligned along the axis of tube.