The present study reports the effect of heat input on the evolution of microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of electron beam butt welded zircaloy-4 sheet. Joints prepared with lower heat input demonstrated lower peak temperature and higher cooling rate that resulted in narrow fusion zone and heat-affected zone. Fine basket weave Widmanstätten type structure in fusion zone was observed at lower heat input, while at higher heat input, a large columnar grain with coarse parallel plate Widmanstätten type structure was observed. Traces of second phase particles Zr(Cr,Fe)₂ were also found in the fusion zone. The tensile strength of all welds was better than the base metal, irrespective of heat inputs. However, the joint prepared with lower heat input demonstrated higher ductility compared to other joints. The dominant mechanism of corrosion was found to be pitting type and it was supposed to be caused by intermetallic precipitation. The extent of corrosion decreased with decrease in heat input. Adhesive wear was found to be the dominant mechanism of wear and the coefficient of friction decreased with the decrease in heat input.

本研究报告了热输入对电子束对接焊接Zircaloy-4薄板的显微组织，机械性能和腐蚀行为的影响。用较低的热量输入制备的接头显示出较低的峰值温度和较高的冷却速率，从而导致狭窄的熔合区和热影响区。在较低的热输入下观察到融合区的细网纹维德曼型结构，而在较高的热输入下，观察到大的柱状晶粒且具有平行的平板维德曼型结构。第二相颗粒Zr（Cr，Fe）_2的痕迹在融合区也发现了。不论热量输入如何，所有焊缝的抗拉强度均优于母材。但是，与其他接头相比，以较低的热输入量制备的接头具有更高的延展性。发现腐蚀的主要机理是点蚀型，并且推测是由金属间沉淀引起的。腐蚀程度随着热量输入的减少而降低。发现粘附磨损是磨损的主要机理，并且摩擦系数随着热量输入的减少而降低。