NDT studies of laser cladding defects of pure copper on SS316L for in vessel materials for fusion reactor applications

The pure thick copper coatings of 1-3 mm are required for the in-vessel materials for the plasma facing components in fusion reactor systems to extract the very high heat flux in shorter durations (like VDEs) and to protect the in vessel components. Laser cladding technique is one of the potential technique for thick coatings on substrate materials. The present study reports the NDT characterization studies carried on samples of pure copper powder cladded on SS316L substrates of thickness 1 mm - 3 mm , fabricated by CO₂ laser system. Process parameters optimization like laser power, laser travel speed, spot size, powder feed rate and shield gas flow show the effect on quality of final cladding on steel substrates. X-ray radiography and Ultrasonic testing has been carried out thoroughly on the fabricated samples and defects are analyzed. Ultrasonic scan tests using different probes are employed as the interface defects are not thoroughly revealed by radiography. The calibration has been carried out by the test sample plate with known defect size created and various process parameters like amplitude, gain and metal velocity, relevant to specimen are chosen for probes calibration. The interface defects of porosity, lack of penetration, cracks or group porosities are observed in few set of samples developed. Radiography examination revealed the porosity at extreme edges and distributed porosity in the middle for thick cladding. Ultrasonic manual A-scanning with TR probe provides qualitative information about flaw and broadly gives its location of the defects. Samples of 1 mm thick cladding have shown relatively less porosity defects at the interface compared to 3 mm thick samples. (author)