Predictive Modelling of Mechanical Properties of Materials for Fusion Power Plants

Completed

Nuclear Fission and Fusion(Nuclear Fusion)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)

Not Cross-cutting

Dr SG Roberts
Materials
University of Oxford

Standard

EPSRC

20 October 2004

19 January 2009

51 months

£482,629

Materials sciences

South East

Metals and alloys -- Materials, Mechanical and Medical Eng

Dr SG Roberts, Materials, University of Oxford

Professor D Pettifor, Materials, University of Oxford
Dr AJ Wilkinson, Materials, University of Oxford

Dr D Nguyen-Manh, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, EURATOM/CCFE

Project Contact, EURATOM/CCFE

This research project is aimed at a thorough understanding of the microstructure, flow and fracture behaviour of metals and alloys with the the body-centred cubic crystal structure. The specific focus is on materials proposed for structural components in fusion power plants; vanadium and tungsten, iron and iron-chromium binaries up to 12% Cr. The project will also examine the changes in behaviour of the materials produced by irradiation. The understanding achieved in the project will enable us to predict the mechanical behaviour of these and related materials.The approach is to use inter-linked computer modelling methods, at scales ranging from the sub-atomic to that of the materials' microstructure. Each level will use input parameters derived from more fundamental levels of modelling. The key elements are (a) abinitio modelling for development of interatomic potentials for use in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations; (b) MD modelling of (i) defect generation under high-energy neutron irradiation, (ii) dislocation mobility in defect-free crystals of the materials and (iii) interactions of dislocations with defects; (c) kinetic theory and kinetic Monte-Carlo modelling of evolution of collision cascade structures beyond the MD timescale; (d) dislocation dynamics simulations of flow, fracture and brittle - ductile transition behaviour. This modelling project will be closely linked to a complementary experimental programme (-750k) funded by UKAEA Culham, whichwillact to guide development of the models and to verify their predictions

01/01/07