Influence of microstructure and notch fabrication on impact bending properties of tungsten materials

Refractory materials, in particular tungsten base materials are considered as primary candidates for high heat load applications in future nuclear fusion power plants. Promising design outlines make use of the high heat conductivity and strength of W-1%La₂O₃ (WL10) as structural material. Here, the lower temperature range is restricted by the transition to a steel part and the upper operation temperature limit is defined by the onset of recrystallization and/or loss of strength, respectively. The most critical issue of tungsten materials in connection with structural applications, however, is the ductile-to-brittle transition. Another problem consists in the fact that especially refractory alloys show a strong correlation between microstructure and their manufacturing history. Since mechanical properties are defined by the underlying microstructure, refractory alloys can behave quite different, even if their chemical composition is the same. Therefore, the fracture behavior of several tungsten based alloys was characterized by standard Charpy tests which have been performed up to 1100 °C in vacuum. Due to their fabrication history (powder mixing, pressing, sintering, rolling or swaging) all materials had specific microstructures which often led to typical delamination fractures. The influence of the microstructure characteristics like grain size, anisotropy, texture, or chemical composition as well as the effect of notch machining was investigated. All results are discussed and assessed with respect to the optimization of future component fabrication for high temperature nuclear fusion applications.