Preparation of W-V functionally gradient material by spark plasma sintering

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and technology Vol. 52; no. 8; pp. 1706 - 1713
• Main Authors: Tang, Yi, Qiu, Wenbin, Chen, Longqing, Yang, Xiaoliang, Song, Yangyipeng, Tang, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Functionally gradient materials; W/V alloy; Microstructure; Microhardness
• ISSN: 1738-5733; 2234-358X

Functionally gradient material (FGM) is promisingly effective in mitigating the thermal stress between plasma facing materials (PFM) and structural materials. However, the corresponding research with respect to W/V FGM has not been reported yet. In this work, we firstly report the successful fabrication of W/V FGM by a combined technology of mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microhardness and microstructure of the consolidated sample were both investigated. W/V stacks show significantly enhanced microhardness (>100%) compared with pure W plate, which is beneficial to the integral strength of the hybrid structure. Furthermore, we clarify that the different ductility of W and V should be carefully considered, otherwise W/V powder might aggregate and lead to the formation of compositional segregation, and simultaneously unmask the impact of V proportion on the distribution of second phase in W-V binary alloy system. This work provides an innovative approach for obtaining W-V connections with much better performance.