Thermonuclear Damage to Wall Materials in a Dense Plasma Focus.
Abstract
In a damage analysis of several sample materials exposed to a thermonuclear environment, dominant failure mechanisms that may occur in the high-load components and the first walls of proposed fusion reactors were identified. The synergistic effects from a fusion plasma were experimentally simulated with a dense plasma focus. For short time intervals, the dense plasma focus simulates the wall loading from a fusion reactor. Considerable damage, on both the macroscopic and microstructural levels, was observed in materials exposed to the harsh environment. The major damage mechanisms are identified in a variety of materials, including aluminum, stainless steel, tantalum, ceramic, and graphite. Test results indicate that surface crack initiation is the most serious failure mechanism in structural materials undergoing the thermal fatigue stresses of a fusion reactor environment. Erosion processes, the primary contribution of which is the contamination of the plasma by radiative cooling, are also discussed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 15, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA049159
Entities
People
- Catherine T. Young
- G. Marshall Molen
- Gerald G. Comisar
- Louis Raymond
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation