Properties of V-4Cr-4Ti for application as fusion reactor structural components

Technical Report · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10194461· OSTI ID:10194461

Chung, H M; Loomis, B A; Smith, D L

Vanadium-base alloys are promising candidate materials for application in fusion reactor first-wall and blanket structures because they offer several important advantages, i.e., inherently low irradiation-induced activity, good mechanical properties, good compatibility with lithium, high thermal conductivity, and good resistance to irradiation-induced swelling and damage. As part of a program to screen candidate alloys and develop an optimized vanadium-base alloy, extensive investigations of various V-Ti, V-Cr-Ti, and V-Ti-Si alloys have been conducted after irradiation in lithium in fission reactors. From these investigations, V-4 wt.% Cr-4 wt.% Ti was identified as the most promising alloy. The alloy exhibited attractive mechanical and physical properties that are prerequisites for first-wall and blanket structures, i.e., high tensile strength, high ductility, good creep properties, high impact energy, low ductile-brittle transition temperature before and after irradiation, excellent resistance to irradiation-induced swelling and microstructural instability, and good resistance to corrosion in lithium. In particular, the alloy is virtually immune to irradiation-induced embrittlement, a remarkable property compared to other candidate materials being investigated in the fusion-reactor-materials community. Effects of helium, charged dynamically in simulation of realistic fusion reactor conditions, on tensile, ductile-brittle transition, and swelling properties were insignificant.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Energy Technology Div.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10194461
• Report Number(s): ANL/ET/CP--81606; CONF-940664--34; ON: DE95002907
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360106
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700480
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COMPONENT DEVELOPMENT
CORROSION RESISTANCE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
IMPACT STRENGTH
MATERIALS STUDIES
MICROSTRUCTURE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
TITANIUM ALLOYS
VANADIUM BASE ALLOYS