Weight gain/time curves obtained on a thermobalance are related to metallographic observations of the oxide. It is found that the oxide is initially protective, but as a result of nonuniform oxidation and cracking the oxidation rate accelerates until finally a linear rate law is obeyed. In the early stages of oxidation a separate layer of oxide grows at the oxide‐gas interface, but soon attains a limiting thickness of a few thousand Angstroms and does not influence the over‐all oxidation behavior. Carbon monoxide formed from the reaction between uranium and carbon dioxide reacts further in the cracks in the oxide.
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