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(FT/P1-03) Neutron Tolerance of Advanced SiC-Fiber / CVI-SiC Composites

Y. Katoh¹⁾, A. Kohyama¹⁾, L.L. Snead²⁾, T. Hinoki²⁾, A. Hasegawa^3)
 
1) Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
²⁾ Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
³⁾ Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

Abstract.  Fusion blankets employing a silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composite (SiC/SiC composite) as the structural material provide attractive features represented by high cycle efficiency and extremely low induced radioactivity. Recent advancement in processing and utilization techniques and application studies in ceramic gas turbine and advanced transportation systems, SiC/SiC composites are steadily getting matured as industrial materials. Reference SiC/SiC composites for fusion structural applications have been produced by a forced-flow chemical vapor infiltration (FCVI) method using conventional and advanced near-stoichiometric SiC fibers and extensively evaluated primarily in Japan-US collaborative JUPITER program. In this work, effect of neutron irradiation at elevated temperatures on mechanical property of these composites is characterized. Unlike in conventional SiC/SiC composites, practically no property degradation was identified in advanced composites with a thin carbon interphase by a neutron fluence level of approximately 8 dpa at 1073 K.

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