Low Activation Joining of SiC/SiC Composites for Fusion Applications: Modeling Miniature Torsion Tests

Book · Mon Jun 30 04:00:00 EDT 2014

OSTI ID:1327194

Henager, Charles H.; Nguyen, Ba Nghiep; Kurtz, Richard J.; Roosendaal, Timothy J.; Borlaug, Brennan A.; Ferraris, Monica; Ventrella, Andrea; Katoh, Yutai

The use of SiC and SiC-composites in fission or fusion environments appears to require joining methods for assembling systems. The international fusion community has designed miniature torsion specimens for joint testing and for irradiation in HFIR. Therefore, miniature torsion joints were fabricated using displacement reactions between Si and TiC to produce Ti3SiC2 + SiC joints with CVD-SiC that were tested in shear prior to and after HFIR irradiation. However, these torsion specimens fail out-of-plane, which causes difficulties in determining a shear strength for the joints or for comparing unirradiated and irradiated joints. A finite element damage model has been developed that indicates fracture is likely to occur within the joined pieces to cause out-of-plane failures for miniature torsion specimens when a certain modulus and strength ratio between the joint material and the joined material exists. The implications for torsion shear joint data based on this sample design are discussed.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1327194
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-104748; AT2030110
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English