Estimation of the fracture toughness of tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composites

Abstract

Tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composites (Wf/W) have been developed to overcome the inherent brittleness of tungsten, which is a promising candidate for the plasma-facing material in a future fusion power plant. As the development of Wf/W evolves, the fracture toughness of the composite is in the focus of interest for further component design. In this contribution fracture mechanical tests on two different types of chemical vapour deposited (CVD) Wf/W are presented. Three-point bending tests according to ASTM E399 as a standard method for brittle materials were used to get a first estimation of the toughness. A provisional fracture toughness value of up to 241 MPa m1/2 was calculated for the as-fabricated and of up to 20.5 MPa m1/2 for a heat-treated and thus embrittled state. As the material does not show a brittle fracture in the as-fabricated state, the J-Integral approach based on the ASTM E1820 was additionally applied for this state. A maximum value of the J-integral of 7.5 kJ/m2 (57.6 MPa m1/2) was determined. A detailed post mortem investigations was used to obtain the active mechanisms.