About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
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Powder-Based Manufacturing and Repair of Large Structural Components for Critical Applications
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| Presentation Title |
Manufacture and Repair of Thick Tungsten Coatings for Fusion via VPS and FAST |
| Author(s) |
Benjamin R. S. Evans, Jordy Vernimmen, Joshua Whitley, Maria Morbey, Remco Timmer, Ameya Ranade, Bradley Young, James Paterson, Stephen Cosser, Kieran Flinders, David Bowden, Thomas W Morgan, David Armstrong |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Benjamin R. S. Evans |
| Abstract Scope |
Fusion energy hinges on the performance and rapid manufacture of plasma-facing components, such as the 300,000 divertor tiles required by the ITER project. Tungsten (W) is the leading candidate material, but conventional diffusion bonding is too slow, especially with replacements required every two years. This work explores two powder-based techniques: vacuum plasma spraying (VPS) and field-assisted sintering (FAST). VPS process optimisation via Taguchi analysis enabled deposition of 4mm-thick W coatings on steel, >4x thicker than W thermal spray literature, and meeting divertor armour requirements. FAST W coatings were subjected to high heat flux testing at UKAEA (HIVE) and DIFFER (UPP). We demonstrate a novel repair strategy: a 1mm W layer was applied to damaged coatings and re-evaluated in HIVE, showing strong potential for in-situ refurbishment. This is among the first demonstrations of erosion repair for fusion components, addressing a key gap in commercial fusion plant designs. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Powder Materials, High-Temperature Materials |