Development in the Production of Hafnium Wire Conforming to ASTM B737 Standard

Despite the sufficient exploration of industrial methods for the manufacturing of products from metal hafnium, the public domain has a limited number of reports that highlight the technological aspects of hafnium wire manufacturing and their effect on the structure and mechanical properties of the products formed [1, 2]. This article describes the methods employed in the manufacturing of hafnium wire from the ingots of its production, which have been tested by the Chepetsk Mechanical Plant (CMP) under industrial conditions, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each tested method for producing the wire.

The stages of hafnium wire drawing are described in detail. During the experiments, the relationships between the technological, energy–power parameters, surface quality, and material structure were studied. The effects of the type of drawing tool on the wire surface quality and drawing force were revealed, as well as the effects of the wire diameter on the amount of permissible deformation between the annealed products and the grain size of the metal.

The paper reports the results of studies conducted on the structure, mechanical, and corrosion properties of the experimental samples of wires manufactured in compliance with the ASTM B737 standard specification for hot-rolled and/or cold-drawn hafnium rods and wire. Currently, CMP can manufacture wires with a diameter of 1 mm or more from hafnium ingots of its production, in compliance with the ASTM B737 standard.