Abstract
There are several advantages of electron beam welding as widely known and it is necessary to develop fully the application technique of this process, making good use of its merit.
Some works on the applicability of the electron beam process to the welding of the nuclear fuel element and some heat resisting alloys were carried out. Discussion on the problem concerning the development work of the electron beam welding are also described.
The conclusions obtained in this study are as follows.
(1) From the experimental end-plug welding of nuclear fuel sheathing by electron beam, excellent joint design and weld penetration which are not expected by ordinary welding method were obtained. A smaller and simpler end-plug can be used for fuel element welding and this means a considerable widening of fuel element design. Weldability of such micro-welding was generally better by electron beam than by TIG method.
(2) With electron beam, new joint design and welding procedure are applicable for various types of specimen. So it seems likely that the electron beam welding process has many fields of application in industries.
(3) The results from the electron beam welding of some heat resisting alloys show a narrow and deep penetration in welds which reduces the heat affected zone and hardened area. Working efficiency on welding is rather superior with electron beam to that with ordinary arc welding.
