A model was presented which was able to describe the cubic or parabolic behavior of the pre-transition oxidation kinetics of Zr in dry O at 573 and 623K. The model assumed that crystallization and recrystallization, during oxidation, modified the effective O diffusion coefficient by decreasing the number of short-circuit paths in the oxide.

E.A.Garciá, J.Kovacs: Journal of Nuclear Materials, 1994, 210[1-2], 78-83