Enhanced toughness and stable crack propagation in a novel tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composite produced by chemical vapour infiltration

Abstract

Tungsten is a promising candidate for the plasma-facing components of a future fusion reactor, but its use is strongly restricted by its inherent brittleness.An innovative concept to overcome this problem is tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composite.In this article we present the first mechanical test of such a composite material using a sample containing multiple fibres.The in-situ fracture experiment was performed in a scanning electron microscope for close observation of the propagating crack.Stable crack propagation accompanied with rising load bearing capacity is observed.The fracture toughness is estimated using the test results and the surface observation.