Brazing Tungsten/Tantalum/RAFM Steel Joint for DEMO by Fully Reduced Activation Brazing Alloy 48Ti-48Zr-4Be

To create a DEMO reactor, it is necessary to develop high-quality technology to join tungsten with reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel (Rusfer, Eurofer, CLF-1, etc.). Difficulties arise in their direct connection due to the large difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). To suppress the difference of CTE, intermediate interlayers are usually used, such as vanadium or tantalum, and brazing is a prospective technology to conduct the joining. The vast majority of works represent copper- or nickel-based brazing alloys, but their applicability is under significant discussion due to their activation properties. That is why, in this work, fully reduced activation 48Ti-48Zr-4Be wt.% brazing alloy was used. The following joint was made: Rusfer steel/48Ti-48Zr-4Be/Ta/48Ti-48Zr-4Be/W. The brazing was successfully carried out under a mode providing thermal heat treatment of Rusfer. Through EDS and EBSD analysis, the microstructure of the joint was determined. Shear strength of the as-joined composition was measured as 127 ± 20 MPa. The joint endured 200 thermocycles in the temperature range between 300–600 °C, but the fillet regions degraded.

Prediction of J-Integrals at Defects in W-9CR Steel Sandwich-Type Cooling Pipes

Sandwich-type cooling pipes of the first wall of future fusion nuclear reactors (i.e. DEMO) will likely consist of tungsten brazed to a Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel. Under a high heat flux (HHF) (1–5 MW/m2) the mismatch in thermal expansion between tungsten and steel results in significant thermal stresses in the brazing region. These stresses can cause crack initiation and growth and thus compromise the structural integrity of such pipes. Finite element analyses have been performed on the brazed joints of a reference cooling assembly under HHF. Thermal stresses and resulting plastic strains were estimated for both the braze interlayer and parent materials. As images of brazed joints revealed, brazing processes are very likely to induce defects near the edges of the joints. A crack is therefore introduced in the brazed region where simulated stresses and strains are found to be the highest. J-integrals were calculated for cracks growing from an edge to the center of the considered piping assembly. The results are discussed in relation to the current sandwich-type piping design of the DEMO reactor.

Effect of Pre-Heating and Post-Heating on Electron Beam Welding of Reduced Activation Ferrite/Martensite Steel

Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are considered the main candidate material for the water-cooled ceramic breeder (WCCB) in a fusion reactor. High-energy density welding approaches, such as electron beam welding (EBW) and laser beam welding (LBW), are frequently utilized in the welding of RAFM steels. During the welding process, cracks and other defects are prone to appear. In this paper, EBW was selected for the welding of RAFM steels. Those with and without pre-heat and post-heat treatment by electron beams are studied by finite element simulation and trials. The results show that the experimental results are consistent with the simulation. In particular, in the case of similar deformation, the residual stress after electron beam heat treatment is far less than that without heat treatment. Without heat treatment, the residual stress near the weld is more than 400 MPa, while the residual stress after heat treatment is about 350 MPa. As the reduction of residual stress is essential to prevent the occurrence of cracks and other defects after welding, pre-heat and post-heat treatment by the electron beam is deemed as an effective way to greatly improve the welding quality in RAFM steel welding.