Studying the Phase Transformation Kinetics of the U–6Nb Alloy Using NMR Methods

The inhomogeneous magnetic state arising from isothermal aging of the rapidly quenched U–6Nb alloy (6.3 wt % or 14 at % niobium) was studied for the first time using nuclear magnetic resonance of the 93 Nb nucleus. In the process of phase transformation during isothermal annealing at Т an = 500°C, the fraction of niobium atoms in the bulk of the alloy increases in regions with a magnetic susceptibility corresponding to the alloys U 1 –х Nb х ( х > 0.14). It is shown that the process of isothermal transformation, accompanied by the formation of niobium-enriched structural precipitates, is fully completed after 60 hours.