US2574626A - Uranium-cobalt alloy - Google Patents
Uranium-cobalt alloy Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US2574626A US2574626A US768132A US76813247A US2574626A US 2574626 A US2574626 A US 2574626A US 768132 A US768132 A US 768132A US 76813247 A US76813247 A US 76813247A US 2574626 A US2574626 A US 2574626A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- uranium
- cobalt
- alloy
- cobalt alloy
- per cent
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
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- KFLDUKAEAGSBCA-UHFFFAOYSA-N cobalt uranium Chemical compound [Co].[U] KFLDUKAEAGSBCA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 title description 10
- 229910000531 Co alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 title description 7
- 229910017052 cobalt Inorganic materials 0.000 description 12
- 239000010941 cobalt Substances 0.000 description 12
- GUTLYIVDDKVIGB-UHFFFAOYSA-N cobalt atom Chemical compound [Co] GUTLYIVDDKVIGB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 12
- 229910052770 Uranium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 11
- 229910045601 alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 description 11
- 239000000956 alloy Substances 0.000 description 11
- JFALSRSLKYAFGM-UHFFFAOYSA-N uranium(0) Chemical compound [U] JFALSRSLKYAFGM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 11
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 10
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 10
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 8
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 4
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 3
- LTPBRCUWZOMYOC-UHFFFAOYSA-N Beryllium oxide Chemical compound O=[Be] LTPBRCUWZOMYOC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000002441 X-ray diffraction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005275 alloying Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000005496 eutectics Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229910000711 U alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000000654 additive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000996 additive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003153 chemical reaction reagent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000004927 fusion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000006698 induction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910000765 intermetallic Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000007521 mechanical polishing technique Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000155 melt Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000005498 polishing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005303 weighing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22C—ALLOYS
- C22C43/00—Alloys containing radioactive materials
Definitions
- the present invention is concerned with a binary uranium-base alloy and more particularly relates to a binary uranium-base alloy containing cobalt.
- Uranium metal is extremely corrodible, oxidizes readily and may even ignite spontaneously when exposed to air at room temperature.
- An object of the present invention is to improve the physical-metallurgical properties of uranium metal so as to enhance the corrosion resistance of uranium and to render the same useful for various purposes for which uranium metal heretofore has not been satisfactory.
- Another object of this invention is to produce a binary uranium-cobalt alloy which is useful in the construction of neutronic reactors.
- a further object of the invention is directed toward the formation of a new and novel composition of a binary uranium cobalt alloy to be used as an additive in the formation of more complex alloys containing uranium and cobalt.
- the enhancement of chemical inertness of uranium metal is accomplished by the alloying effects of cobalt which tends toward decreasing corrosive attack by chemical reagents.
- uranium compositions are obtained in a form having a much lower melting point than uranium metal.
- the present invention is concerned with new and novel compound of a binary uranium-cobalt alloy composition wherein the cobalt atomic per cent content is greater than 50 atomic per cent of the combined uranium-cobalt composition.
- thermal analyses indicate that a uranium-cobalt compound, UCo2, having a cobalt atomic per cent of 66.6 was formed.
- This compound UCoz has a very high heat of fusion, for the liouidus breaks in the thermal data taken for this region were quite large and direct; and the microstructure of the alloys containing less than 66 per cent atomic cobalt showed an extremely dendritic phase structure. Beyond 66 atomic per cent cobalt a Widmansttten-like microstructure indicates a region of solid solubility of cobalt in UC02. In addition the X-ray diffraction patterns of the cuenched alloys substantially confirm this result. Uranium-cobalt alloys whose composition lies beyond the solubility limit of cobalt in UCoz contain a very typical eutectic structure. This eutectic was found to contain 8'7 atomic per cent cobalt and to melt at 1063 C.
- the compound UCoz was identified by X-ray analysis to have a face-centered cubic structure, wherein the parameter, a, was equal to 6378310.004
- the density of Uocz was found to be 13.83 grams per cubic centimeter.
- the alloy of the present invention was prepared from uranium metal havin-g a purity greater than 99.9 per cent and of cobalt metal of 99.9 per cent purity.
- the metals were melted together in beryllia crucibles in vacuo by means of induction heating. Each alloy mass, weighing about 250-450 grams, was held at about 1500 C. for 20 minutes to allow the melt to come to equilibrium. Thermal data were taken by remelting the alloys and cooling at rates of about 6 to 7 C. per minute in the range of about 1000 C. with correspondingly lower rates at lower temperatures.
- the alloy was prepared for microscopic examination by mechanical polishing techniques and electrolytic polishing using a phosphoric acidethylene glycol-ethyl alcohol solution.
- a composition of matter consisting of an intermetallic compound dened by the formula UCOz.
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- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Powder Metallurgy (AREA)
Description
Patented Nov. 13, 1951 U NI T E D URANIUM- COBALT ALLOY Application August 12, 1947, Serial No. 768,132
1 Claim. 1
The present invention is concerned with a binary uranium-base alloy and more particularly relates to a binary uranium-base alloy containing cobalt.
Uranium metal is extremely corrodible, oxidizes readily and may even ignite spontaneously when exposed to air at room temperature.
An object of the present invention is to improve the physical-metallurgical properties of uranium metal so as to enhance the corrosion resistance of uranium and to render the same useful for various purposes for which uranium metal heretofore has not been satisfactory.
Another object of this invention is to produce a binary uranium-cobalt alloy which is useful in the construction of neutronic reactors.
A further object of the invention is directed toward the formation of a new and novel composition of a binary uranium cobalt alloy to be used as an additive in the formation of more complex alloys containing uranium and cobalt.
Other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken with the accompanying drawing in which the single figure is a phase equilibrium diagram defining the uranium-cobalt system.
In accordance with the present invention the enhancement of chemical inertness of uranium metal is accomplished by the alloying effects of cobalt which tends toward decreasing corrosive attack by chemical reagents. In addition, by such alloying, uranium compositions are obtained in a form having a much lower melting point than uranium metal.
The present invention is concerned with new and novel compound of a binary uranium-cobalt alloy composition wherein the cobalt atomic per cent content is greater than 50 atomic per cent of the combined uranium-cobalt composition. Referring to the euuilibrium diagram, it was found that when preparing high cobalt content alloys of uranium, thermal analyses indicate that a uranium-cobalt compound, UCo2, having a cobalt atomic per cent of 66.6 was formed. This compound UCoz has a very high heat of fusion, for the liouidus breaks in the thermal data taken for this region were quite large and direct; and the microstructure of the alloys containing less than 66 per cent atomic cobalt showed an extremely dendritic phase structure. Beyond 66 atomic per cent cobalt a Widmansttten-like microstructure indicates a region of solid solubility of cobalt in UC02. In addition the X-ray diffraction patterns of the cuenched alloys substantially confirm this result. Uranium-cobalt alloys whose composition lies beyond the solubility limit of cobalt in UCoz contain a very typical eutectic structure. This eutectic was found to contain 8'7 atomic per cent cobalt and to melt at 1063 C.
The compound UCoz was identified by X-ray analysis to have a face-centered cubic structure, wherein the parameter, a, was equal to 6378310.004 The density of Uocz was found to be 13.83 grams per cubic centimeter.
The alloy of the present invention was prepared from uranium metal havin-g a purity greater than 99.9 per cent and of cobalt metal of 99.9 per cent purity. The metals were melted together in beryllia crucibles in vacuo by means of induction heating. Each alloy mass, weighing about 250-450 grams, was held at about 1500 C. for 20 minutes to allow the melt to come to equilibrium. Thermal data were taken by remelting the alloys and cooling at rates of about 6 to 7 C. per minute in the range of about 1000 C. with correspondingly lower rates at lower temperatures.
The alloy was prepared for microscopic examination by mechanical polishing techniques and electrolytic polishing using a phosphoric acidethylene glycol-ethyl alcohol solution.
All of the alloys above described in addition to the physical-metallurgical advantages, exhibit resistance to corrosion far superior to that of uranium metal.
Related compounds and compositions of uranium cobalt alloys which exhibit resistance to corrosion far superior than that of uranium metal have been described ln our co-pending application, Serial No. 770,624, led August 26, 1947.
It will be understood that the particular alloy compositions described above should not be deemed to constitute the limits of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claim.
What is claimed is:
A composition of matter consisting of an intermetallic compound dened by the formula UCOz.
ADRIAN H. DAANE. WILLIAM K. NOYCE.
REFERENCES CITED The followingr references are of record in the le of this patent:
UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 811,859 Marsh Feb. 6, 1906 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 158,508 Austria Apr. 25, 1940 OTHER REFERENCES Friend: Textbook of Inorganic Chemistry, vol. VII. part III, p. 286 (1926). Published by Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd., London.
Hansen: Aufbau der Zweistoiliegierungen, 1936, pages 515 and 959.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US768132A US2574626A (en) | 1947-08-12 | 1947-08-12 | Uranium-cobalt alloy |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US768132A US2574626A (en) | 1947-08-12 | 1947-08-12 | Uranium-cobalt alloy |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| US2574626A true US2574626A (en) | 1951-11-13 |
Family
ID=25081629
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| US768132A Expired - Lifetime US2574626A (en) | 1947-08-12 | 1947-08-12 | Uranium-cobalt alloy |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US2574626A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2898252A (en) * | 1951-07-03 | 1959-08-04 | Sylvester T Zegler | Method of heat-treating uranium-silicon alloys |
| US5534360A (en) * | 1991-12-13 | 1996-07-09 | International Business Machines Corporation | Amorphous uranium alloy and use thereof |
Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US811859A (en) * | 1905-03-15 | 1906-02-06 | Hoskins Company | Electric resistance element. |
| AT158508B (en) * | 1937-02-01 | 1940-04-25 | Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh | Solder made from a eutectic alloy for soldering metal parts in electrical vacuum vessels. |
-
1947
- 1947-08-12 US US768132A patent/US2574626A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US811859A (en) * | 1905-03-15 | 1906-02-06 | Hoskins Company | Electric resistance element. |
| AT158508B (en) * | 1937-02-01 | 1940-04-25 | Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh | Solder made from a eutectic alloy for soldering metal parts in electrical vacuum vessels. |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2898252A (en) * | 1951-07-03 | 1959-08-04 | Sylvester T Zegler | Method of heat-treating uranium-silicon alloys |
| US5534360A (en) * | 1991-12-13 | 1996-07-09 | International Business Machines Corporation | Amorphous uranium alloy and use thereof |
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