PNNL

Abstract

In both joints iron and chromium diffused from the stainless steel into the copper alloy, producing a narrow zone of about a 15 ?m containing FeCr precipitates and small voids. Failure in some bending tests occurred by a crack propagating through this zone in a direction parallel to the interface, indicating that the formation of these precipitates may not be conducive to good joint properties. The results of annealing experiments showed that temperatures # 673 K did not change the initial microstructure or composition of CuAl25/SS316L and CuNiBe/SS316L joints. Although there are no data from annealing experiments longer than 100 hours, it is expected that the microstructure and composition of CuAl25/SS316L and CuNiBe/SS316L are stable under the thermal operating conditions of fusion reactors. However, irradiation may lead to significant changes because of radiation-enhanced segregation, precipitation or dissolution near and at the interface that could alter the properties. In addition, the preexisting voids near the interface of the joints may coarsen under irradiation and enhance the sensitivity of joints to failure. Given the uncertainties in the response to irradiation, neutron irradiation experiments should be performed at appropriate temperatures to investigate the response of the different materials.