welding zirconium wire
 

Does anybody have and experience welding zirconium wire? I'd like to join two
pieces that are about 1/32" in diameter. I'll be using an oxyacetylene torch.

Is this stuff going to catch on fire like magnesium or do something else
interesting?

"Cydrome Leader" wrote in message
...
I'll be using an oxyacetylene torch.

LOL!

Is this stuff going to catch on fire like magnesium or do something else
interesting?

Zr is at least as reactive as titanium (which also burns as a powder). Low
power TIG is probably your best hope, unless you want to go the "usual"
route, say electron beam or laser welding, which I'm sure is typical for a
material like this.

I'm more interested in the use...what's special about zirconium that you're
using it for? Seems expensive...

Tim

--
"California is the breakfast state: fruits, nuts and flakes."
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

I used to work at Western Zirconium where they make the stuff for nuc
reactors. When it catches fire there aint nothing in this world that
will put it out. Sometimes the chips would ignite and they just poured
a big pile of salt over it and waited for it to burn out. The salt
would melt into a hard coating over everything. Oxyacetylene is -NOT-
the way to go. Whenever they welded any they used an electron beam
welder and the zirconium was in a vacuume chamber. Oh yeah, the fumes
are -VERY- corrosive. Every car in the parking lot rusted out in about
two years.
Good luck.

Cydrome Leader wrote in
:

Does anybody have and experience welding zirconium wire? I'd like to
join two pieces that are about 1/32" in diameter. I'll be using an
oxyacetylene torch.

Is this stuff going to catch on fire like magnesium or do something
else interesting?

It will burn your house down. Zirconium is like Tiatanium and Magnesium, it
burns very hot and very bright. I thought Zirconium was controlled by the
NRC or somesuch. I've machined rod ends for nuclear fuel rods out of the
stuff. I might be wrong about it being a controlled metal, but I know for
sure that it burns. I wouldn't breathe the fumes of it burning either, IIRC
they're not good for you either, they damage the lungs or are poisonous.
Sorry I can't remember all the details it was quite some time ago. But
again DO NOT put an O/A torch to the wire, at least not inside ;)

--

Dan

D Murphy wrote:
Cydrome Leader wrote in
:

Does anybody have and experience welding zirconium wire? I'd like to
join two pieces that are about 1/32" in diameter. I'll be using an
oxyacetylene torch.

Is this stuff going to catch on fire like magnesium or do something
else interesting?

It will burn your house down. Zirconium is like Tiatanium and Magnesium, it
burns very hot and very bright. I thought Zirconium was controlled by the
NRC or somesuch. I've machined rod ends for nuclear fuel rods out of the
stuff. I might be wrong about it being a controlled metal, but I know for
sure that it burns. I wouldn't breathe the fumes of it burning either, IIRC
they're not good for you either, they damage the lungs or are poisonous.
Sorry I can't remember all the details it was quite some time ago. But
again DO NOT put an O/A torch to the wire, at least not inside ;)


All the MSDS sheets I come across says the stuff burns when in powder.
Nothing is mentioned of the wire form though. I don't plan on working with
it inside. I'll test a piece and see what happens.

"D Murphy" wrote in message
...
It will burn your house down. Zirconium is like Tiatanium and Magnesium,
it
burns very hot and very bright. I thought Zirconium was controlled by the
NRC or somesuch.

We used to employ it in "Zircs", small electrical-short simulators for stage
pyro. The metal isn't exactly a "controlled substance", like illegal to
own, or anything. But virtually 100% of the world supply is tied up by
government buyers. They've essentially put a lockdown on the possibility of
anyone owning any zirconium except the random scrap from a small machining
job. Most short-circuit simulators and bullet hits now use titanium,
although one can still find "zircs" on the market.

Zirc burns very hot and vigorously, and has a spark pattern we call "senko
hanabi", where each spark branches and sparks again -- often several times.

You won't put it out easily once it ignites.

LLoyd

"Tim Williams" wrote in message
...
"Cydrome Leader" wrote in message
...

I'm more interested in the use...what's special about zirconium that
you're
using it for? Seems expensive...

Tim



Zircon encrusted tweezers... (Montana, Dynamo Hum; Frank Zappa) :)

cheers
T.Alan

In article , says...
"Cydrome Leader" wrote in message
...
I'll be using an oxyacetylene torch.

I'm more interested in the use...

Bait?

Ned Simmons

15+ years ago I worked for GE for a summer making the Zirc tubes for
nuclear fuel bundles. Once in a while I'd work the deburring line
where we used a hand deburring tool to take the burrs of the 25mm
tubes. If you really cranked on the tool the shavings would come off
on fire! Great fun! After finishing each bundle of tubes, we swept up
the shavings and put them in a barrel filled with water.

Getting back to the original question, at GE the tubes came in 50cm in
diameter and were reduced to 13mm. This was done with hydro-pneumatic
tube reducers (HPTR). This was a cold process where the tube forced
through a smaller diameter orifice to reduce the diameter and at the
same time lengthen the tube. I don't know if you could do something
similar.

Rob

Cydrome Leader wrote in
:

All the MSDS sheets I come across says the stuff burns when in powder.
Nothing is mentioned of the wire form though. I don't plan on working
with it inside. I'll test a piece and see what happens.

I've lit turning chips on fire with a Bic lighter.
--

Dan

Cydrome Leader wrote:
D Murphy wrote:
Cydrome Leader wrote in
:

Does anybody have and experience welding zirconium wire? I'd like to
join two pieces that are about 1/32" in diameter. I'll be using an
oxyacetylene torch.

Is this stuff going to catch on fire like magnesium or do something
else interesting?

It will burn your house down. Zirconium is like Tiatanium and Magnesium, it
burns very hot and very bright. I thought Zirconium was controlled by the
NRC or somesuch. I've machined rod ends for nuclear fuel rods out of the
stuff. I might be wrong about it being a controlled metal, but I know for
sure that it burns. I wouldn't breathe the fumes of it burning either, IIRC
they're not good for you either, they damage the lungs or are poisonous.
Sorry I can't remember all the details it was quite some time ago. But
again DO NOT put an O/A torch to the wire, at least not inside ;)


All the MSDS sheets I come across says the stuff burns when in powder.
Nothing is mentioned of the wire form though. I don't plan on working with
it inside. I'll test a piece and see what happens.

I took a MAPP torch to a piece of it. It mostly just got really hot and
cooled down and became brittle and useless. One piece did seem to burn-
it wasn't like a magnesium fire but it just stayed white hot and never broke
apart or started to bead after I took it off the flame. The section that
seemed to be burning had a white coating that wiped off.

So the main issue now is how to keep the wire from becoming brittle after
being heated up.

Tim Williams wrote:
"Cydrome Leader" wrote in message
...
I'll be using an oxyacetylene torch.

LOL!

Is this stuff going to catch on fire like magnesium or do something else
interesting?

Zr is at least as reactive as titanium (which also burns as a powder). Low
power TIG is probably your best hope, unless you want to go the "usual"
route, say electron beam or laser welding, which I'm sure is typical for a
material like this.

I'm more interested in the use...what's special about zirconium that you're
using it for? Seems expensive...

I'm curious as to how it behaves. I got a 10 meter roll packaged by Alfa on
on ebay.


Tim

--
"California is the breakfast state: fruits, nuts and flakes."
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms