The mechanism for the self-accommodation microstructure of α variants during phase transformation of the Zr–2.5Nb alloy

Although variant selection during the phase transformation of zirconium (Zr) alloys has been studied extensively, studies on the formation mechanism of microstructural characteristics related to α variant selection remain limited. The formation mechanisms of the self-accommodation morphology and inter-variant boundary characteristics of α variants in homogenized Zr–2.5Nb alloy cooled by water quenching (WQ), furnace cooling (FC), and air …