Patent ID: 8137488

Claim:
A process for producing a flat product made of a zirconium alloy having a Kearns factor FT of between 0.30 and 0.70 consisting of: smelting a zirconium alloy having a composition, in percentages by weight, of Nb=0.5 to 3.5% Sn=0 to 1.5% Fe=0 to 0.5% Cr+V=0 to 0.3% S=0 to 100 ppm O=0 to 2000 ppm Si=0 to 150 ppm, a balance being zirconium and impurities resulting from the smelting; forming an ingot of the smelted zirconium alloy; performing on the ingot at least one hot rolling pass in order to obtain a flat product, a final of the hot-rolling passes being carried out between 900 and 1030° C. and not being followed by any quenching operation; annealing the flat product not exceeding a temperature of 800° C.; and performing at least one cold-rolling/annealing cycle on the flat product wherein the annealing cycle does not occur above 800° C. to produce a flat product having a Kearns factor FT of between 0.30 and 0.70.