A liga de alumínio designada AA4006 é muito utilizada na indústria. É uma liga do sistema Al-Fe-Si, com teores (% em massa) de Si na faixa de 0,8 a 1,2% e Fe entre 0,5 e 0,8%. Apesar de ser bastante utilizada, ela foi pouco estudada. Neste trabalho foi realizado um estudo comparativo da microestrutura e da textura cristalográfica entre chapas da liga AA4006 produzidas por dois processos industriais de lingotamento: contínuo (Twin roll caster TRC) e semicontínuo (Direct chill DC). Para a caracterização microestrutural, foram utilizadas as técnicas de microscopia óptica com luz polarizada, microscopia eletrônica de varredura com microanálise química, medidas de condutividade elétrica e ensaios de dureza Brinell. A textura cristalográfica foi determinada por difração de raios X. Foram detectadas e discutidas diferenças significativas nas morfologias e distribuições de grãos e de partículas de fases intermetálicas. O estudo da textura cristalográfica foi realizado ao longo da espessura das tiras e os resultados mostraram variações significativas da textura entre as chapas ao longo da espessura. A chapa produzida por lingotamento contínuo apresentou uma típica textura de cisalhamento nas proximidades de sua superfície, enquanto nas regiões mais internas a fibra foi observada. O estudo da recristalização de chapas metálicas laminadas a frio é muito útil para a obtenção da temperatura de amolecimento do material submetido a um tratamento térmico. Tratamentos térmicos isócronos no intervalo de uma hora foram feitos em amostras das duas chapas e a chapa produzida pelo processo TRC apresentou a temperatura para 50% de recristalização em torno de 290 ºC e a amostra da chapa produzida pelo processo DC em torno de 270 ºC. A textura cristalográfica pode mudar com a recristalização e com a laminação do metal. Utilizando estas etapas de processamento do material, a orientação dos grãos de uma tira metálica pode ser otimizada, a fim de, por exemplo, melhorar a estampabilidade de chapas na obtenção de um dado produto com valor agregado. Neste trabalho as curvas de amolecimento para duas chapas produzidas por lingotamento contínuo e lingotamento semicontínuo da liga de alumínio AA4006 também foram determinadas e comparadas. Embora as diferenças detectadas entre as curvas de amolecimento tenham sido pequenas, foi possível verificar que a recristalização da chapa produzida por twin roll caster TRC ocorre em temperaturas mais elevadas do que na chapa produzida pelo processo direct chill DC. Resultados da textura cristalográfica em amostras destas chapas (laminadas e recozidas) foram obtidos utilizando difração de raios X e difração de elétrons retroespalhados EBSD. Estes resultados indicaram a presença da textura de cisalhamento na superfície e a fibra no centro da amostra laminada a frio (70% de redução) da chapa obtida por lingotamento contínuo. Na amostra da chapa obtida por lingotamento semicontínuo, a componente cubo e a fibra foram vistas na superfície e no centro. Uma textura fraca com grãos orientados ao acaso foi vista nas duas amostras (TRC e DC) recristalizadas das duas chapas, possivelmente, devido à nucleação estimulada por partículas. A fibra desapareceu nas amostras (TRC e DC) recristalizadas. / AA4006 Aluminum alloy is extensively used in industry. It belongs to the Al-Fe-Si system, with Si between 0,8 and 1,2 % mass, and Fe between 0,5 and 0,8 % mass. This alloy is less studied despite its extensive use. A comparative microstructural study has been performed in as-received AA4006 alloy strip produced by two industrial casting processes: twin roll caster (TRC) and direct chill (DC). Polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with microanalysis, electrical conductivity measurements and Brinnel hardness tests have been used for microstructural characterization. Significant differences in the grain and intermetallic particle sizes, morphologies and distributions were detected and are discussed. Thermal treatments effects on the silicon content in solid solution were also studied. Crystallographic textures have been also determined. Textures across thickness of both sheets have been analyzed and compared. Results showed significant texture changes across thickness of the specimens. Texture analysis was carried out using X-ray diffraction technique. Twin roll caster (TRC) sheet presented the typical shear texture near the surface, while, in internal regions, the -fibre was observed. A recrystallization study of cold rolled metallic sheets is very important to obtain softening temperature for the material during annealing. After cold rolling with 70% of reduction in thickness, followed by isochronous heat treatments, the samples of the two sheets produced by TRC and DC presented a 50% recrystallization temperature around 290 ºC and 270 ºC, respectively. Crystallographic texture can change during the metal rolling and recrystallization. These processing steps can optimize the grain orientation distribution in a metal strip to improve, for instance, the stamping process, in order to obtain an aggregated value product. Softening curves were also compared and determined for the two sheets (rolled and annealed) of the AA4006 aluminum alloy produced by twin roll caster TRC and direct chill DC processes. It was detected that the recrystallization of the strip produced by TRC process occurs at a higher temperature than that for the DC process, despite the little differences in their softening curves. Crystallographic texture results, for the sheet samples, were obtained by using X-ray diffraction and electron back scatter diffraction EBSD techniques. These results indicated the shear texture presence on the surface and fiber at the center of the cold rolled (70% area reduction) sample for the sheet produced by TRC process. In the sheet sample produced by the DC process, under the same conditions, the cube component and fiber texture (at the surface and at the center) were observed. A texture with random oriented grains was detected in two deformed and recrystallized samples of the two sheets (TRC and DC). It is suggested that this texture occurs due to the particle stimulated nucleation. There was fiber absence in the recrystallized samples (TRC and DC).

While group VII 4d Tc and 5d Re have hexagonally close-packed (hcp) ground states, 3d Mn adopts the complex chi-phase which exhibits non-collinear magnetism. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have shown that without magnetism the chi-phase remains the ground state of Mn implying that magnetism is not the critical factor, as is commonly believed, in driving the anomalous stability of the chi-phase over hcp. Using a tight-binding (TB) model it is found that while harder potentials stabilise close-packed hcp, a softer potential stabilises the more open chi-phase. By analogy with the structural trend from open to close-packed phases down the group IV elements, the anomalous stability of the chi-phase in Mn is shown to be due to 3d valent Mn lacking d states in the core which leads to an effectively softer atomic repulsion between the atoms than in 4d Tc and 5d Re. Subsequently an analytic Bond-Order Potential (BOP) is developed to investigate the structural and magnetic properties of elemental Mn at 0 K. It is derived within BOP theory directly from a new short-ranged orthogonal d-valent TB model of Mn, the parameters of which are fitted to reproduce the DFT binding energy curves of the five experimentally observed phases of Mn, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon-Mn. Not only does the BOP reproduce qualitatively DFT binding energy curves of the five different structure types, it also predicts the complex collinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering in alpha-Mn, the ferrimagnetic (FiM) ordering in beta-Mn and the AFM ordering in the other phases that are found by DFT. A BOP expansion including 14 moments is sufficiently converged to reproduce most of the properties of the TB model with the exception of the elastic shear constants which require further moments. Magnetic analytic BOPs are also developed for Fe and Fe-Mn. The Fe model correctly reproduces trends in the structural stabilities of the common metallic structures except that AFM hcp is overstabilised. Reproduction of the elastic constants with a 9-moment BOP is reasonable although as is found for the Mn BOP the elastic shear constants require more moments to converge. Vacancy formation energies are close to those determined by experiment and DFT and the relative stabilities of self-interstitial atom (SIA) defects in ferromagnetic bcc Fe are correctly reproduced. The SIA formation energies are found to be better than those calculated with existing BOP models. The Fe-Mn TB and BOP models were challenging to fit and nonmagnetic face-centred cubic (fcc) structures are overstabilised. Furthermore within BOP an incorrect magnetic solution is predicted for one fcc structure resulting in poor reproduction of the DFT stacking fault energies. Refitting the bond integrals might help to better reproduce the nonmagnetic hcp-fcc energy differences while an environment-dependent Stoner parameter could help provide the flexibility needed to correctly capture the magnetic energy differences.

No description available.

The development of interatomic potentials for magnetic transition metals, and particularly for iron, is difficult, yet it is also necessary for large-scale atomistic simulations of industrially important iron and steel alloys. The magnetism of iron is especially important as it is responsible for many of the element's unique physical properties -- its bcc ground state structure, its high-temperature phase transitions, and the mobility of its self-interstitial atom (SIA) defects. Yet an accurate description of itinerant magnetism within a real-space formalism is particularly challenging and existing interatomic potentials based on the Embedded Atom Method are suited only for studies of near-equilibrium ferritic iron, due to their restricted functional forms. For this work, the magnetic analytic Bond-Order Potential (BOP) method has been implemented in full to test the convergence properties in both collinear and non-collinear magnetic iron. The known problems with negative densities of states (DOS) are addressed by assessing various possible definitions for the bandwidth and by including the damping factors adapted from the Kernel Polynomial Method. A 9-moment approximation is found to be sufficient to reproduce the major structural energy differences observed in Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Tight Binding (TB) reference calculations, as well as the volume dependence of the atomic magnetic moments. The Bain path connecting bcc and fcc structures and the formation energy of mono- and divacancies are also described well at this level of approximation. Other quantities such as the high-spin/low-spin transition in fcc iron, the bcc elastic constants and the SIA formation energies converge more slowly towards the TB reference data. The theory of non-collinear magnetism within analytic BOP is extended as required for a practical implementation. The spin-rotational behaviour of the energy is shown to converge more slowly than the collinear bulk energy differences, and there are specific problems at low angles of rotation where the magnitude of the magnetic moment depends sensitively on the detailed structure of the local DOS. Issues of charge transfer in relation to magnetic defects are discussed, as well as inadequacies in the underlying d-electron TB model.

Ferritic ODS steels show improved high temperature strength and irradiation tolerance compared with conventional ferritic steels, and are one of the key potential materials for fusion blanket structural applications. The processing of ODS steels is critical to their subsequent performance; however knowledge of the optimum processing approaches for these alloys is not complete. The microstructural evolution of ODS steels containing Y₂O₃ and other additions during manufacture has been investigated and the processing conditions optimised based on microstructural and mechanical investigations. Ferritic powders with Y₂O₃ and other additions were investigated, primarily using analysis on the micro- and nano-scale, with an emphasis on identifying the requirements for homogenization of the Y within the steel matrix. The Y₂O₃ dispersion and subsequent development of the nano-precipitates during thermal treatment was investigated using in-situ neutron diffraction. The nano-precipitates were resolved at approximately 900◦C after 1hr, with coarsening and/or re-precipitation progressively increasing at higher temperatures. A significantly increased number density of nano-precipitates (∼2x10²³m−3 to ∼7x10²³m−3) was established by hot isostatically pressing an Fe-14Cr-3W-0.2Ti0.25Y₂O₃ alloy at 950◦C compared with more traditional temperatures at 1150◦C, attributed to the increased coarsening and/or re-precipitation of the nano-precipitates at the higher temperatures. The influence of the mechanical alloy (MA)ing conditions on bulk mechanical properties was investigated using four point bend. The highest fracture toughness of ∼55MN/m^3/2 and ultimate strength of ∼1450MPa was achieved under conditions that minimised the mechanical alloying time and increased the average final size of the powders. An Fe-14Cr-3W-0.2Ti-0.25Y₂O₃ (wt%) ODS alloy manufactured under optimised conditions showed a bi-modal grain structure size distribution and had a comparatively high yield strength of >1200MPa at 20◦C and >330MPa at 700◦C. The grain structure and high yield strength were attributed to the random distribution of 25nm radius of gyration (R_g) Y, Ti and O rich nano-precipitates randomly dispersed throughout the alloy. Long term thermal ageing (750hr at 1000◦C) reduced the room temperature yield strength and increased the proportion of larger grains in the bi-modal distribution, but high temperature yield strength was remarkably stable.

Structural studies with CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) are made since the 1970s, however investigations about their electrical properties only started recently. At 2000, it was reported a high permittivity of ~ 12000 (at 1 KHz) in ceramics of this material which remained constant between the room temperature to ~ 200 °C, and whose physical explanations be still controversial in the scientific society. High dielectric constants allow smaller capacitive components, enabling the size reduction of the electronic devices. In this way, CCTO has attracted the interest of many researchers as technological as scientific point of view. One of the main problem that limit its immediate application as dielectric in ceramic capacitors is its high dielectric loss (~ 0,15) near at room temperature. On the other hand, this material has been prepared by several researchers mainly by the solid state reaction method, in the temperature range of 1000 °C to 1050 °C, with thermal treatment up to 48 h. As result, some secondary phases have be found as in the calcined powders as in the sintered ceramics. Thus, other synthesis methods have been proposed and tested in the last years. In this work, we have studied the CCTO synthesis by a route based on Pechini s method and its sintering using a new method, in which a CO2 laser is used as the main heating source. Besides, the dielectric properties of CCTO ceramics were investigated in order to verify the influence of this sintering process on the ceramic properties as well as onto the understanding of the involved physical mechanisms. The laser sintered ceramics presented high relative density (95 ± 1%), with homogeneous microstructure and dielectric constant at about 2000 with low dielectric loss (0,06) at 1 kHz, when sintered at 1,3 W/mm2. The dielectric loss value obtained in this work is among the lowest ever recorded. Based on our results was also proposed a mechanism to aid in the understanding of the giant dielectric constant in CCTO. Finally, we believe that laser sintering can be an important tool for the optimization of the dielectric properties of CCTO ceramics and consequently future applications in the capacitors and electronic devices industry, whose worldwide consumption is increasing. / Estudos estruturais com o CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) são feitos desde os anos 1970, contudo investigações acerca de suas propriedades elétricas somente se iniciaram recentemente. Em 2000, foi reportado uma alta permissividade de ~ 12000 (a 1 kHz) em cerâmicas deste material, que permanecia constante da temperatura ambiente a ~ 200 °C, cujas explicações físicas ainda são bem controversas na comunidade científica. Constantes dielétricas altas permitem menores componentes capacitivos, oferecendo assim a oportunidade de diminuir o tamanho de dispositivos eletrônicos. Desta forma, o CCTO tem atraído muito o interesse de pesquisadores, tanto do ponto de vista tecnológico quanto científico. Um dos principais problemas que limitam sua imediata aplicação como dielétrico em capacitores cerâmicos é a sua alta perda dielétrica (~ 0,15) próximo à temperatura ambiente. Por outro lado, este material tem sido preparado por diversos pesquisadores principalmente pelo método da reação de estado sólido, no intervalo de temperatura de 1000 °C a 1100 °C, com tratamentos térmicos de até 48 h. Como resultado, algumas fases secundárias têm sido encontradas tanto no pó calcinado quanto na cerâmica sinterizada. Dessa forma, outros métodos de síntese vêm sendo procurados e testados nos últimos anos. Neste trabalho, estudamos a síntese do CCTO por uma rota baseada no método Pechini e sua sinterização usando um novo método, no qual um laser de CO2 é usado como principal fonte de aquecimento. Além disso, estudamos as propriedades dielétricas das cerâmicas de CCTO, a fim de verificar a influência deste novo processo de sinterização em suas propriedades bem como no entendimento dos mecanismos físicos envolvidos. As cerâmicas sinterizadas a laser apresentaram alta densidade relativa (95 ± 1%), com microestrutura homogênea e constante dielétrica em torno de 2000 e baixa perda dielétrica (0,06) a 1 kHz, quando sinterizadas a 1,3 W/mm2. O valor de perda dielétrica obtida neste trabalho está entre os mais baixos já registrados. Baseando-se em nossos resultados também foi proposto um mecanismo para auxiliar no entendimento da constante dielétrica gigante no CCTO. Finalmente, acreditamos que a sinterização a laser pode ser uma importante ferramenta para a otimização das propriedades dielétricas de cerâmicas de CCTO e consequentemente futuras aplicações na indústria de capacitores e dispositivos eletrônicos, cujo consumo mundial é cada vez maior.

Aluminium alloys, which are the most widely used materials in the aircraft and aerospace industries, find their applications due to high strength–to-density ratio, resistance to catastrophic fracture, high degree of toughness, fabricability including good weldability and availability. High strength aluminum alloys are used in different forms like sheets, forgings and extruded rods, welded and machined components in the aerospace industry. One major application of the aluminium alloys in the space sector is in the launch vehicle and satellite sub-systems. The Indian Space Research Organization has met major challenges of indigenization of suitable aluminium alloys, for example, Al-Cu alloys (like AA2219) and Al–Zn-Mg alloys (like AA7075 and AFNOR 7020). Many failures of the metallic sub-systems made of different grades of aluminum alloys have confirmed that high levels of residual stresses and unacceptable microstructures have played a role. Crystallographic texture in these materials has a very significant role to play in the performance of these materials in service. The anisotropy in the mechanical properties caused by crystallographic texture would add to the woes of the existing problems of residual stresses and directionality in the microstructure. In this context, a detailed study of crystallographic texture and residual stresses of high strength aluminium alloys is mandatory. It is also important to study the influence of texture on the anisotropy in mechanical properties. The present research programme aims at addressing some of these aspects. The entire work has been divided in three major sections, namely macro and micro texture analysis, non-destructive measurement of residual stresses using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and the Ultrasonic Testing (UST) and the study of anisotropy in the mechanical properties arising due to the above two factors. The thesis composition is as follows. In Chapter I, a detailed survey of the literature has been presented wherein basic physical metallurgy for different aluminum alloys of interest has been given. Thereafter, details of texture measurement by the X-ray diffraction and Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) are presented. This is followed by a detailed review on the texture studies carried out in aluminium alloys under various conditions. Literature review on the two non-destructive methods, namely the X-ray diffraction and ultrasonic method has been carried out in detail. In order to account for microstructural changes, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was carried out. Recent work on the mechanical property anisotropy arising due to high degree of mechanical working in aluminium alloys has been reviewed. Chapter II includes the experimental details involved in the course of the present investigation. The procedural details of cold rolling and associated microstructural changes are given in this chapter. This is followed by the texture measurement methods. Experimental details of the bulk texture measurement using the X-ray diffraction and micro texture measurements by the Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) in the SEM are described. Details of the texture computation procedure as well as micro texture analysis methods are also presented. Basic principles of the non-destructive methods of measuring residual stresses, viz., the X-ray diffraction and the Ultrasonic testing, including the theory of measurements, are dealt with. Finally, the details of measurements of anisotropy in mechanical properties, including simulation carried out, for the three alloys are delineated. Chapter III deals with the results of the crystallographic texture measurements carried out on the cold rolled and artificially aged aluminium alloys. Results obtained from the pole figure analysis, Orientation Distribution Function (ODF) method and estimation of the various fibres present in the cold rolled material and the volume fraction of the texture components are discussed in detail for the three aluminium alloys. Results of the micro texture measurements using the EBSD are presented, explained and analyzed in detail. A comparison of the inverse pole figures (IPFs), Image Quality (IQ) maps, Misorientation angle, Grain Orientation Spread (GOS), Kernal Average Misorientation (KAM), CSL boundaries, Grain size and Grain boundary character distribution (GBCD) for materials cold rolled to different reduction for each of the alloys are done and analyzed. Conclusions are drawn regarding the evolution of texture from the above analysis. Deformation texture components Cu, Bs and S increase from the starting material as the rolling percentage increases. On the other hand, recrystallization texture components of Goss and Cube are observed to be weak. AFNOR 7020 developed the strongest texture followed by the AA7075 and AA2219 alloys. The Bs component is stronger in AFNOR 7020 alloy. This is attributed to the shear banding. Average KAM value increases as the cold working in the material increases confirming that the material contains high dislocation density at higher working percentages. Chapter IV deals with residual stresses in the aluminium alloys. Measurement of residual stresses has been carried out on the same sheets and plates, wherever it was possible, using the two methods. The residual stresses have been measured in two mutually perpendicular directions of the aluminium alloy sheets. Residual stress measurements by the ultrasonic method using the Critically Refracted Longitudinal (LCR) wave technique is also used to measure the subsurface stresses non-destructively. Acousto Elastic Coefficients (AEC) is determined for the alloys, in uniaxial tension. Using the AEC for the alloys, the RS at a depth of 3mm are evaluated using a 2MHz probe. Results of the stresses measured by the two methods have been discussed. The trends and anisotropy in the stress values due to texture are discussed and compared with the literature available. Surface residual stresses by the XRD method show compressive stresses at a majority of the locations. Residual stresses measured by the ultrasonic technique, which has a depth of penetration of about 3mm, have shown tensile stresses on many locations. Residual stresses are influenced by the crystallographic texture. Anisotropy in stress values in the longitudinal and transverse directions is demonstrated. In Chapter V, the anisotropy in mechanical properties for the three alloys is discussed in detail. The anisotropy in the three directions, namely the parallel, transverse and 45 deg orientation to the rolling directions is evaluated. The Lankford parameter, otherwise known as Plastic Anisotropy Ratio “r”, has been measured from the tensile tests of the alloy samples in the cold rolled conditions. These have been compared with the computed “r” from the XRD ODF data using the VPSC simulations and found to be qualitatively matching. These trends are discussed with the available literature on the anisotropy of the mechanical properties for aluminium alloys. Samples subjected to high cold rolling show anisotropy of UTS, YS and ‘n’ values. Experimentally measured “r” values in all the deformation conditions match the trend qualitatively with the simulated ones. The maximum anisotropy was observed at 45o orientation to the rolling direction in all the three alloys. Chapter VI gives the summary of the results from the study and the suggestions for future work.

Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr based AA7010 aluminum alloy belongs to the class of heat treatable alloys and the semi-finished products are generally produced by hot rolling, forging or extrusion processes. It is well known that the thermo-mechanical processing parameters strongly influence both the evolution of texture as well as microstructure in the material. As a result, the semi-finished products exhibit anisotropy in mechanical properties causing legitimate concerns on the applicability of the alloys. In the present thesis, a systematic study on the evolution of texture and microstructure and its implications on the mechanical properties anisotropy of AA7010 alloy has been attempted. A brief introduction on the development of texture and its influence on the anisotropy of the mechanical properties of 7xxx series aluminum alloys is presented first with a view to explore the scopes for further investigation. An overview of the relevant literature is described subsequently. The development of texture and microstructure in an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr based 7010 aluminum alloy during uneven, hot cross-rolling is presented. Materials processing involves three different types of uneven cross-rolling. The variations in relative intensity of the β-fibre components as a function of cross rolling modes have been investigated. It has been shown that the main attributes to the texture evolution in the present study are (a) cross-rolling and inter-pass annealing that reduce the intensity of Cu component following each successive pass, (b) recrystallization resistance of Bs oriented grains, (c) stability of Bs texture under cross-rolling, and (d) Zener pinning by Al3Zr dispersoids. The stability of the unique single, rotated Brass-{110}(556) component developed in the present alloy, during long term thermal annealing and cold rolling deformation has been systematically investigated further. Subsequently, the influence of development of microstructure and texture on the in-plane anisotropy (AIP) of yield strength, work hardening behavior and yield locus anisotropy has been presented. The AIP and work hardening behavior are evaluated by tensile testing at 0o, 45o and 90o to the rolling direction, whilst yield loci have been generated by Knoop hardness method. It has been observed that in spite of having strong rotated Brass texture, the specimens show low AIP especially in peak aged temper. The in-plane anisotropy (AIP) of yield strength, and work hardening behavior of a heat treated 7010 aluminum alloy sheet having strong, rotated Brass-{110}556 component with different texture intensity and volume fraction of recrystallization has been further evaluated. It is observed that the AIP increases with increase in texture intensity and volume fraction of recrystallization. In the subsequent chapter, the tensile flow and work hardening behavior are described using constitutive equations. Room temperature tensile properties have been evaluated as a function of tensile axis orientations in as-hot rolled as well as peak aged conditions. It has been found that both the Ludwigson and a generalized Voce-Bergström relation adequately describe the tensile flow behavior in all conditions compared to the Hollomon relation. The Voce-Bergström parameters define the slope of - plots in the stage-III regime when the specimens show a classical linear decrease in hardening. Further analysis of work hardening behavior throws light on the effect of texture on the dislocation storage and dynamic recovery. An overall summary of the experimental results and the scopes for future studies have been presented at the end.

This thesis describes the design, manufacture and characterisation of thick vacuum plasma sprayed tungsten (W) coatings on steel substrates. Fusion is a potentially clean, sustainable, energy source in which nuclear energy is generated via the release of internal energy from nuclei. In order to fuse nuclei the Coulomb barrier must be breached - requiring extreme temperatures or pressures – akin to creating a ‘star in a box’. Tungsten is a promising candidate material for future fusion reactors due to a high sputtering threshold and melting temperature. However, the large coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch with reactor structural steels such as the low activation steel Eurofer’97 is a major manufacturing and in-service problem. A vacuum plasma spraying approach for the manufacture of tungsten and tungsten/steel graded coatings has been developed successfully. The use of graded coatings and highly textured 3D interface surfi-sculpt substrates has been investigated to allow the deposition of thick plasma sprayed tungsten coatings on steel substrates. Finite element models have been developed to understand the residual stresses that develop in W/steel systems and made use of experimental measurements of coating thermal history during manufacture and elastic moduli measured by nano-indentation. For both the graded and surfi-sculpt coating, the models have been used to understand the mechanism of residual stress redistribution and relief in comparison with simple W on steel coatings, particularly by consideration of stored strain energy. In the case of surfi-sculpt W coatings, the patterned substrate gave rise to regular stress concentrating features, and allowed 2mm thick W coatings to be produced reproducibly without delamination. Preliminary through thickness residual stress measurements were compared to model predictions and provided tentative evidence of significant W coating stress relief by regulated coating segmentation.

In the absence of a fusion neutron source, research on the structural integrity of materials in the fusion environment relies on current fission data and simulation methods. Through investigation of the Fe-Cr system, this detailed study explores the challenges and limitations in the use of currently available radiation sources for fusion materials research. An investigation of ion-irradiated Fe12%Cr using nanoindentation with a cube corner, Berkovich and spherical tip, and micro-cantilever testing with two different geometries, highlighted that the measurement of irradiation hardening was largely dependent on the type of test used. Selected methods were used for the comparison of Fe6%Cr irradiated by ions and neutrons to a dose of 1.7dpa at a temperature of 288°C. Micro-cantilever tests of the Fe6%Cr alloy with beam depths of 400 to 7000nm, identified that size effects may significantly obscure irradiation hardening and that these effects are dependent on radiation conditions. Irradiation hardening in the neutron-irradiated alloy was approximately double that of the ion-irradiated alloy and exhibited increased work hardening. Similar differences in hardening were observed in an Fe5%Cr alloy after ion-irradiation to a dose of 0.6dpa at 400°C and doses rates of 6 x 10^-4dpa/s and 3 x 10^-5dpa/s. Identified by APT, it was shown that increased irradiation hardening was likely to be caused by the enhanced segregation of Cr observed in the alloy irradiated with the lower dose rate. These observations have significant implications for future fusion materials research in terms of the simulation of fusion relevant radiation conditions and micro-mechanical testing.