Radiation effects on insulators for superconducting fusion magnets

Fibre-reinforced plastics (FRPs) are candidate materials for the insulation of superconducting magnet coils in future fusion reactors. This paper reports on a test programme performed to assess the mechanical properties of these materials and to obtain information on the damage and fracture mechanisms. Different types of FRPs (epoxies and poly- and bismaleimides as resins; two- and three-dimensional E-, S- or T-glass fabrics as reinforcements) were irradiated at room temperature by 2 MeV electrons and ⁶⁰Co-gamma rays up to 1.8 × 10⁸ Gy and by different reactor spectra up to a neutron fluence of 1 × 10²³ m⁻² (E > 0.1 MeV) at room temperature, 80 K or 5 K. Mechanical tests in tension as well as in the intralaminar crack opening and shear mode were carried out on the irradiated samples at 77 K. After low temperature irradiation, half of the samples were subjected to a warm-up cycle to room temperature before testing at 77 K. Results on the influence of different radiation sources and annealing cycles on the mechanical properties of these materials will be discussed.