Abstract
Silicon carbide composites are attractive for structural applications in fusion energy systems because of their low activation and afterheat properties, excellent high-temperature properties, corrosion resistance, and low density. These composites are relatively new materials with a limited database; however, there is sufficient understanding of their performance to identify key issues in their application. To date, dimensional changes of the constituents, microstructural evolution, radiation-enhanced creep, and slow crack growth have been identified as potential lifetime limiting mechanisms. Experimental evidence of these mechanisms, the factors that control them, and their implications on component lifetime will be discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 10-15 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Nuclear Materials |
| Volume | 289 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2001 |
Funding
This work was supported by The Office of Fusion Energy Science and The Office of Basic Energy Science under US Department of Energy (DOE) contract DE-AC06-76RLO 1830 with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated for DOE by Battelle. The authors would like to thank Dr J.I. Eldridge, NASA Glenn Research Center, for performing the fiber push-in testing.