From introduction: "As part of the program for improvement of graphite, the structural characteristics of graphite have been studied to determine the relation between physical and structural changes during irradiation."

Report describing an apparatus for visual study of corrosion of uranium by hot water. A windowed autoclave was designed and constructed to permit visual study of the reaction under conditions simulating a cladding failure in service.

Report describing the literature relative to zirconium-uranium alloys. The available data related to zirconium-uranium alloys is analyzed in an attempt to understand the behavior and nature of the alloy. Other aspects of zirconium-uranium alloys are discussed in the report.

A report about the effects of thermal cycling upon specimens of the uranium-chromium eutectic alloy.

From Abstract: "The heat treatment and mechanical properties of four zirconium alloys...were investigated. Tensile, hardness, Jominy end-quench, and metallographic data constitute the basis for much of the report. Other data reported include the results of high-temperature creep, tensile, hardness, cold rolling, thermal-cycling, and dynamic-modulus tests." A connection is made between the behavior of these four alloys and more alloys in the zirconium-uranium system.

Abstract: "Blacosolv, trichloroethylene, is used in degreasing uranium metal. Tests were made under possible industrial conditions to determine whether a hazardous reaction between uranium and Blacosolv could occur. Temperature-rise measurements showed that there was no reaction of the metal, in various states of subdivision, with Blacosolv at temperatures up to 850 F. However, a reaction was observed in tests under which the finely divided metal, wet with solvent, was subjected to a severe impact."

This report discusses tests of several nonaqueous extractive methods meant to leach Western ores of uranium and vanadium. Explanations of different methods are given as well as their extraction results.

From abstract: "The composition of vapors from aqueous nitric acid solutions boiling at 200 mm mercury total pressure is established for solutions containing between - and 67.5 w/o nitric acid. The volatility characteristics of low concentrations of chloride in the same concentration range of nitric acid have been measured in solutions boiling at 200 mm mercury. The effects of chloride concentration and pressure of boiling are evaluated. A spectrophotometric method of the determination of chloride in nitric acid solutions is described."

Report discussing reaction of hydrogen with uranium in a range of temperatures and pressures. Experimental materials, methods and results are included.

From abstract: "Various physical and mechanical properties have been determined for high- and low-carbon base uranium, uranium-chromium, and uranium-zirconium alloys. These data complement those obtained at ANL on the same materials."

From introduction: "This investigation was undertaken with the general objective of determining whether uranium core could be sheathed with aluminum by an extrusion-cladding process. The ultimate objective of this work was to determine the feasibility of extrusion cladding flat plates of uranium."

From introduction: This report covers an investigation of solid-state bonding as a technique for aluminum cladding uranium plates of 3 by 0.180-in. cross section in lengths up to 14 ft.

Abstract: "Aluminum electroplating was studied in a search for new methods of cladding uranium fuel elements. Uranium electroclad with 12 mils of aluminum over a 0.5-mil (or nickel plus copper) electroplate resisted corrosion for more than 100 hr in boiling water. This quality of protection was effected by hot pressing the electroclad uranium with 5.1 tons per sq in. for 5 min at 950 F. The electroclad uranium with hot-pressed samples paralleled those of later experiments with hot-pressed wrought aluminum claddings on uranium. In both cases, the uranium was electroplated with thin (0.5 mil) layers of metals to prevent aluminum-uranium diffusion, to aid bonding, and to assist in corrosion protection. This aluminum electroplating study helped to define the importance of the intermediate coating between the aluminum and the uranium, the effect of good bonds between the various layers, and the effects of hot pressing in protecting uranium with an aluminum cladding."

From summary: "This report was prepared for the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards for their review and consideration of the potential hazards concerning the Battelle Memorial Institute Research Reactor."

Abstract: "Aluminum-clad nickel-plated uranium is corrosion resistant in boiling water. Samples with intentional defects in the aluminum-nickel clodding layers, after testing for more than 300 hr. showed no sign of rapid failure. The study of electroplated metals on uranium for aluminum cladding has defined the effects of several processing variables on the corrosion resistance. The quality of the uranium and the quality of the aluminum-nickel bond were important. Heat treatment and vacuum outgassing of the nickel-plated uranium prior to aluminum cladding were beneficial, and minimizing the amount of air present in the hot-press assembly was desirable. Variation in the steps for electroplating on uranium did not affect the corrosion resistance of aluminum-clad uranium."

Introduction: "The uranium-5 w/o chromium alloy has been intensively investigated for use in a power reactor in the as-cast condition. However, when cast sample fuel elements were subjected to irradiation, their stability was found to be unsatisfactory. In order to improve the behavior of the alloy, a program of grain refinement by heat treatment was begun. The effect of chill casting on the heat-treated grain size was also investigated."

The following report follows an investigation made to determine the composition of uranium-rich ternary eutectic alloys most suitable for reactor application in the as-cast condition. These determinations were made based metallographic examination and thermal analysis of as-cast alloys.

From introduction: This is Progress report BMI-282, the first of a series covering the operation of the pressure-leaching towers for the extraction of uranium by an ammonium carbonate leach...This report discusses the data obtained from tests run to show the effects of such variables as the amount of air and carbon dioxide passed through the pulp, temperature, pressure, and concentration of ammonium carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate in the leach solution on the extraction of uranium.

Abstract: "Sound, fabricable ingots of thorium were produced by triple are melting of electrolytic thorium. Consumable electrodes were fabricated by tack welding of cold-pressed and vacuum-sintered bars of the granular thorium electrodeposited from a molten-salt bath. The hydrogen content of the electrodeposited material was reduced from 80 to 4 ppm by vacuum sintering at 1250 C at pressures below 1 x 10-(-3) mm of mercury. Both sodium and chlorine content were reduced during melting; sodium from 250 to 25 ppm and chlorine from 1000 to 30 ppm. Oxygen and HCl acid-insoluble contents increased during sintering and melting. Oxygen content increased from 0.35 to 0.50 w/o and HCl acid-insoluble content from 0.8 to 4.0 w/o. A starlike includion revealed by metallographic examination of the as-cast thorium was identified as ThO2."

This report covers the progress made on an intensive program to develop and evaluate UO2 as a possible fuel element for the PWR.

Abstract: "Refinement of grain size of the base uranium-chromium eutectic alloy (uranium-5 w/o chromium) by ternary additions is discussed. Thirteen additions to the base alloy were investigated, and three additions were found to exhibit worthwhile grain-refinement tendencies. The three alloys, uranium-5 w/o chromium-0.2 w.o molybdenum, uranium-5 w/o chromium-0.2 w/o germanium, and uranium-5 w/o chromium-0.2 w/o niobium, were heat treated to produce final grain-size structures of between 0.015 and 0.033 mm."

The following report focuses on an investigation made to determine if vacuum melting was an absolutely necessary step in the metallurgical process of melting and casting uranium.

From introduction: "This report describes the second phase of the work on the application of protective coatings to uranium by vapor deposition to reduce or prevent its corrosion by water."

The following report studies the dissolution of aluminum-canned thorium, providing results that suggest a dissolution cycle that permits the separation of the canned-slug components.