About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Additive Manufacturing Materials, Processes and Applications for Energy Industry
|
| Presentation Title |
Microstructure Evolution and Small-Scale Mechanical Behavior of Wire-Arc Directed Energy Deposition Fabricated Crack-Free Tungsten |
| Author(s) |
Katie A. Estrada, Brad Sampson, Michael Sebok, Tim Graening, Andrzej Nycz, Venugopal Varma, Saket Thapliyal |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Katie A. Estrada |
| Abstract Scope |
Fusion reactors first-wall components experience significant degradation and erosion due to the extreme operating environments. Traditional repair and replacement methods can be hazardous, costly, and time-consuming. To this end, wire-arc directed energy deposition (WA-DED) is a promising in-situ repair technique for plasma-facing components. The WA-DED process employs an inert gas to shield the meltpool and exclude light impurities, such as O, and N; however, this shielding only protects the deposit directly below, leaving the cooling track exposed to contamination. This research investigates the effects of impurities – potentially introduced during deposition – on the microstructural evolution, including solidification behavior, and small-scale mechanical behavior of WA-DED fabricated crack-free tungsten deposits. The formation of grain boundary phase and cellular solidification structure in WA-DED deposited pure W are revealed. Employing nanoindentation, electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction, we assessed the implications of these microstructural features for the overall performance of the deposited material. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Mechanical Properties, |