Heat loading behavior and thermomechanical analyses on plasma spray tungsten coated reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel

Tungsten coating with a thickness of 1 mm on reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel (RAF/M) F82H (Fe-8Cr-2W), which is a leading structural material candidate for DEMO, have been produced by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS) and Vacuum Plasma Spraying (VPS). Heat loading experiments on thermal response and fatigue using an electron beam have been carried out on W-coated F82H brazed on oxygen free high purity copper (OFHC) block with a cooling tube to evaluate their possibility as a plasma-facing armor in the fusion device. In addition, quantitative analyses about temperature profiles and thermal stress have been carried out using FEA. Thermal response experiments show that the temperatures increased monotonically with increasing heat flux. Surface temperature of the VPS-W/F82H/OFHC is always lower than that of the APS-W/F82H/OFHC. Surface modification, exfoliation and crack are not formed by thermal fatigue experiments up to 200 cycles at a heat flux of 3.2 MW/m². Thermal response experiments under steady state condition have been successfully modeled by FEA. Interfacial strength of VPS-W and F82H is also discussed using the FEA results.