Zirconium alloy is a solid solution of zirconium or other metals. Zirconium has a very low thermal neutron absorption cross section, high hardness, ductility and corrosion resistance. The main use of zirconium alloy is in the field of nuclear technology, such as fuel rods in nuclear reactors. The typical composition of nuclear grade zirconium alloy is more than 95% zirconium and less than 2% tin, niobium, iron, chromium, nickel and other metals, which are added to improve mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.

Zirconium alloy has good corrosion resistance, moderate mechanical properties, low atomic thermal neutron absorption cross section (0.18 barn for zirconium) in high temperature and high pressure water and steam at 300-400℃, and good compatibility with nuclear fuel. Therefore, it can be used as core structural material (fuel cladding, pressure tube, bracket and channel tube) of water-cooled nuclear reactors, which is the main use of zirconium alloy. Zirconium has excellent corrosion resistance to various acids (such as hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and acetic acid), alkalis and salts, so zirconium alloy is also used to make corrosion-resistant parts and pharmaceutical devices. Zirconium has a strong affinity with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen, so zirconium and zirconium alloys are also widely used as non-evaporable degassing agents in the electric vacuum and light bulb industries (see degassing materials). Zirconium has excellent luminous properties, so it becomes a flash and fireworks material. Zirconium and zirconium alloys have good plasticity and can be made into pipes, plates, rods and wires, among which pipes are the main products. The processing technology of zirconium and zirconium alloys depends on the basic properties of zirconium and the special requirements of nuclear reactors for zirconium components. The basic properties of zirconium are: easy to be contaminated by oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, etc., easy to stick to the mold, and have isomorphous transformation. The requirements of nuclear reactors for zirconium components are high dimensional accuracy, strict microstructure requirements, and stable performance. The main processes for the most widely used seamless zirconium tube processing are: preparation of consumable electrodes, melting, forging, hot extrusion (tube blanks), cold processing, and finishing.