Activities of HIP joining of plasma-facing armors in the blanket first-wall in Korea

Highlights: • HIP joints of Be/CuCrZr, Be/FMS, W/FMS were demonstrated. • The process conditions for HIP joining were developed. • For the joining of Be, coating interlayers as well as thick diffusion barrier was developed. • For the joining of W, double-staged HIP was applied for the joint integrity. • No significant defects nor a brittle failure were observed along the joint interface. - Abstract: Joining technology for dissimilar materials was developed for the fabrication of an ITER blanket first-wall, which consisted of Be, CuCrZr, and stainless steel (SS). The Be/CuCrZr/SS joint was fabricated using a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) method. Beryllium armor was joined to the CuCrZr/SS block at 580 °C under 100 MPa. The optimal interlayer coatings of Cr/Cu and Ti/Cr/Cu were developed using an ion-beam assisted physical vapor deposition. Beryllium is also a candidate armor material for the TBM first-wall. Successful joining of Be to ferritic-martensitic steel (FMS) was accomplished using an HIP method by introducing the thick diffusion barrier. A thick diffusion barrier of a Cu foil(10 μm) limited the excessive diffusion and prevented the formation of brittle phases at the Be/FMS interface. Be and FMS were bonded at 650–850 °C; however, a temperature of lower than 750 °C was recommended to avoid material degradation of FMS. In addition, the joining of W to FMS has been developed. Tungsten is another armor material applicable to more severe plasma conditions. The large difference in the thermal expansion between W and FMS was resolved by introducing the Ti interlayer and Mo separator. Moreover, the double-staged HIP (the first stage at 900 °C and 100 MPa and the second stage at 750 °C and 70 MPa) was applied to suppress the edge delamination of W/FMS joints during thermal history.