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New generations of fusion devices need alternative plasma-facing materials. The currently approved material composition for the first wall and divertor of the ITER tokamak has a number of disadvantages: insufficient resistance to thermal shock, sputtering of microparticles into plasma and high atomic number Z of the armor material. A promising but largely untested idea is the proposal to use high-temperature ceramics as armor materials for the most heat-loaded plasma-facing components of new-generation fusion devices. Among the advantages of ceramics are the low Z and high enough resistance to intense heating. More research is needed that would help to understand how the material withstands high heat fluxes during transient plasma events. This work is devoted to the description of an experimental method that makes it possible to estimate the critical temperature at which the damage of ceramics begins as a result of a thermal shock of submillisecond duration. As a demonstration of the efficiency of the method, the critical temperature for hot pressed B4C under thermal shock was determined: its value was about 1200–1400 K.

The method of non-vacuum electron beam cladding is used to obtain coatings based on a high-entropy Cantor alloy reinforced with Cr3C2 particles. The microstructure of the coatings is studied; the chemical and phase compositions are determined; microhardness measurements, wear resistance and heat resistance tests are performed. The structure of the coatings is represented by an fcc matrix with Me7C3 carbides. Increase in the percentage of reinforcing particles leads to elevation of the proportion of the carbide phase in the cladding layer. The addition of carbide particles results in growth of the microhardness, wear resistance and oxidation resistance. The structure of the coating obtained from a powder mixture with 50 wt.% Cr3C2 exhibits a 60% volume fraction of carbides. The properties have the highest values in the coating obtained from a mixture with 50 wt.% carbide particles in the initial composition. Its hardness is 1071 ± 114 HV0.1, and the wear resistance and the oxidation resistance increase with respect to the unreinforced coating by a factor of 15.3 and 3.3 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Al21Co22Cr22Fe13Ni22 high-entropy coatings were produced on steel substrates by non-vacuum electron beam cladding of Co, Cr, and NiAl powders. The high-temperature oxidation behavior of the coatings was studied by holding the specimens at 900 °C in air. The microstructure and phase constitution of the samples were studied both in the as-cladded state and after the heat treatment. The microstructure was characterized using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to study the phase constitution of the coatings and the “coating-substrate” interface. The coating consisted of disordered bcc (A2), ordered bcc (B2), and disordered fcc (A1) phases. Annealing the coatings for 50 h at 900 °C led to the formation of fcc precipitates in the bcc dendritic grains and a mixture of fcc and σ-phase particles in the interdendritic regions. Needle-like nanosized B2-precipitates were formed due to annealing in the fcc grains at the coating/substrate interface. The microhardness at the top of the as-cladded coating was 585 HV and gradually decreased towards the substrate. A more uniform distribution of the microhardness was obtained after the annealing. Its average value was 441 HV. Rhomboid Cr2O3, needle-like Al2O3, and spinels of a different morphology were found on the surface of the samples after oxidation at 900 °C.

In this paper, we report on the microstructure and properties study of the Ni-Al system (75/25 at. %) coatings obtained by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) and high-velocity plasma spraying (HV-APS) methods which differ in the speed of the sprayed particles. The structure and phase composition were investigated using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray phase analysis (XRD). The paper presents the measurements results of porosity and microhardness, as well as the resistance of coatings to high-temperature oxidation. Additionally, we propose a phase transformations model that explains the difference in structure formation. For HV-APS and APS coatings, the difference in structure is shown to be due to different residence conditions of the sprayed particles in the plasma jet. Particles in the HV-APS coatings were completely melted, while a significant proportion of unmelted particles was observed in the APS coatings. HV-APS coatings have better high-temperature oxidation resistance compared to APS coatings, which is explained by a decrease in their porosity to ∼2 %.

NiAl-based intermetallic coatings were obtained using non-vacuum electron beam cladding on low-carbon steel. The structure of the coatings was investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The coatings mostly consisted of grains elongated perpendicular to the substrates, with a strong texture along the grain growth direction. The coatings contained about 14 at. % Fe, which appeared due to the partial melting of the steel substrate. At the bottom of the coatings, an inhomogeneous mixing zone with an increased concentration of Fe was formed; at the “substrate–coating” interface, a thick layer with a Fe50-Ni25-Al25 at. % composition was observed. The samples exhibited weight gains of 0.1, 0.8, 2.14, and 3.4 mg/cm2 after 100 h of oxidation at 700, 800, 900, and 1000 °C, respectively. The oxide layer contained α-Al2O3 and θ-Al2O3, and the presence of iron atoms contributed to the formation of a small amount of spinel. During the oxidation process, a layer with a high Fe content (~60 at. %) formed along the boundary between the oxide film and the NiAl-based material, which had a positive effect on the formation of a non-porous “oxide–coating” interface.

Damage of divertor tungsten tiles as a result of transient plasma processes is one of the key problems of the ITER tokamak. Even if the temperature of the divertor tiles is maintained below the melting threshold, their thermal deformation, accumulation of residual stresses and cracking will occur. Cracking reduces the resistance of the metal to subsequent loads, therefore, the study of this process is important. In materials science, non-destructive methods for measuring mechanical stresses are very limited. In this work, a new method is proposed that allows non-contact investigation of stresses in polycrystalline tungsten plates by their bending. A corresponding diagnostic system and theoretical model are implemented. A number of experiments were carried out using this diagnostic system at the BETA facility at the Budker Institute to study the dynamics of tungsten plates bending with different thickness, subjected to pulsed heating of different intensities. The experimental results showed the qualitatively expected process of the plate bending, as well as good agreement with the theoretical model. This proved that the method described in the work is promising for use in order to study the residual stresses in a pulse-heated metal sample.

A comparison of the numerical simulation and an experimental study of the collision of the particles and the substrate during detonation spraying is presented. The spraying regimes were chosen to provide unmelted, partially melted, and completely molten particles. The numerical simulation was performed using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method with velocity and temperature settings as initial conditions. Good agreement was obtained between the simulation results and the experimental data, making the SPH simulation suitable for analysis of the deformation of particles and the substrate during detonation spraying. Information about the particle’s shape evolution during the collision is presented. An increase in temperature and plastic strain is analyzed at different points of the particle and substrate. Under certain spraying regimes, it is possible to melt a solid particle due to its high-strain-rate deformation, but no melting of the substrate was observed during the simulation.

Being one of the most high-demand structural materials, titanium has several disadvantages, including low resistance to high-temperature oxidation and wear. The properties of titanium and its alloys can be improved by applying protective intermetallic coatings. In this study, 2 mm thick Ti-Al-Ta and Ti-Al-Cr layers were obtained on titanium workpieces by a non-vacuum electron-beam cladding. The microstructure and phase compositions of the samples were different for various alloying elements. The Cr-containing layer consisted of α2, γ, and B2 phases, while the Ta-containing layer additionally consisted of ω′ phase (P3¯m1). At the same atomic concentrations of aluminum and an alloying element in both layers, the volume fraction of the B2/ω phase in the Ti-41Al-7Ta alloy was significantly lower than in the Ti-41Al-7Cr alloy, and the amount of γ phase was higher. The Ti-41Al-7Cr layer had the highest wear resistance (2.1 times higher than that of titanium). The maximum oxidation resistance (8 times higher compared to titanium) was observed for the Ti-41Al-7Ta layer.

In this study, Al21Co22Cr22Fe13Ni22 high-entropy coatings were produced on steel substrates by non-vacuum electron beam cladding of Co, Cr, and NiAl powders. The high-temperature oxidation behavior of the coatings was studied by holding the specimens at 900 °C in air. The microstructure and phase constitution of the samples were studied both in the as-cladded state and after the heat treatment. The microstructure was characterized using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to study the phase constitution of the coatings and the "coating-substrate" interface. The coating consisted of disordered bcc (A2), ordered bcc (B2), and disordered fcc (A1) phases. Annealing the coatings for 50 h at 900 °C led to the formation of fcc precipitates in the bcc dendritic grains and a mixture of fcc and σ-phase particles in the interdendritic regions. Needle-like nanosized B2-precipitates were formed due to annealing in the fcc grains at the coating/substrate interface. The microhardness at the top of the as-cladded coating was 585 HV and gradually decreased towards the substrate. A more uniform distribution of the microhardness was obtained after the annealing. Its average value was 441 HV. Rhomboid Cr2O3, needle-like Al2O3, and spinels of a different morphology were found on the surface of the samples after oxidation at 900 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiAl-based intermetallic coatings were obtained using non-vacuum electron beam cladding on low-carbon steel. The structure of the coatings was investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The coatings mostly consisted of grains elongated perpendicular to the substrates, with a strong <100> texture along the grain growth direction. The coatings contained about 14 at. % Fe, which appeared due to the partial melting of the steel substrate. At the bottom of the coatings, an inhomogeneous mixing zone with an increased concentration of Fe was formed; at the "substrate–coating" interface, a thick layer with a Fe50-Ni25-Al25 at. % composition was observed. The samples exhibited weight gains of 0.1, 0.8, 2.14, and 3.4 mg/cm2 after 100 h of oxidation at 700, 800, 900, and 1000 °C, respectively. The oxide layer contained α-Al2O3 and θ-Al2O3, and the presence of iron atoms contributed to the formation of a small amount of spinel. During the oxidation process, a layer with a high Fe content (~60 at. %) formed along the boundary between the oxide film and the NiAl-based material, which had a positive effect on the formation of a non-porous "oxide–coating" interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparison of the numerical simulation and an experimental study of the collision of the particles and the substrate during detonation spraying is presented. The spraying regimes were chosen to provide unmelted, partially melted, and completely molten particles. The numerical simulation was performed using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method with velocity and temperature settings as initial conditions. Good agreement was obtained between the simulation results and the experimental data, making the SPH simulation suitable for analysis of the deformation of particles and the substrate during detonation spraying. Information about the particle's shape evolution during the collision is presented. An increase in temperature and plastic strain is analyzed at different points of the particle and substrate. Under certain spraying regimes, it is possible to melt a solid particle due to its high-strain-rate deformation, but no melting of the substrate was observed during the simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, Fe66Cr10Nb5B19 metallic glass coatings deposited by detonation spraying (DS) on carbon steel substrates were structurally characterized and tested in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solutions with pH values of 3.0, 5.5, and 10.0 under potentiodynamic polarization conditions. The coatings had low porosity (2.9-4.5%) and showed a predominantly amorphous structure. The concentration of an amorphous phase in the detonation coatings was 97.5-99.5 wt.%. Such high concentrations were not observed in thermally sprayed Fe-Cr-Nb-B coatings obtained by other research groups. Under the test conditions, the coatings exhibited low corrosion current densities (of the order of 10-6 A cm-2) and low passive current densities (below 10-3 A cm-2) while showing extended passive regions (stable within 1.5 V from the corrosion potential). The Fe66Cr10Nb5B19 coatings produced by DS showed a much better corrosion resistance than the carbon steel substrate. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the Fe66Cr10Nb5B19 DS coatings was superior to that of flame-sprayed or high-velocity oxygen fuel-sprayed Fe-Cr-Nb-B coatings reported to date. These results open new prospects for the use of affordable and Cr-lean Fe-Cr-Nb-B glassy coatings for carbon steel protection, where chloride-induced corrosion is the major degradation risk, such as metallic components for marine applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being one of the most high-demand structural materials, titanium has several disadvantages, including low resistance to high-temperature oxidation and wear. The properties of titanium and its alloys can be improved by applying protective intermetallic coatings. In this study, 2 mm thick Ti-Al-Ta and Ti-Al-Cr layers were obtained on titanium workpieces by a non-vacuum electron-beam cladding. The microstructure and phase compositions of the samples were different for various alloying elements. The Cr-containing layer consisted of α2, γ, and B2 phases, while the Ta-containing layer additionally consisted of ω′ phase (P 3 ¯ m1). At the same atomic concentrations of aluminum and an alloying element in both layers, the volume fraction of the B2/ω phase in the Ti-41Al-7Ta alloy was significantly lower than in the Ti-41Al-7Cr alloy, and the amount of γ phase was higher. The Ti-41Al-7Cr layer had the highest wear resistance (2.1 times higher than that of titanium). The maximum oxidation resistance (8 times higher compared to titanium) was observed for the Ti-41Al-7Ta layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]