Enhancing the Performance of Plasma-Facing Materials Through Additive Manufacturing

Tungsten-based alloys possess significant potential for enhancing the efficiency of a fusion system due to their attractive properties. In this study, we explore additive manufacturing (AM) as a viable processing route to tailor into fine-grained structures in tungsten alloys while mitigating the issues associated with laser printing of pure tungsten. To identify suitable alloying elements for tungsten-based alloys, we assessed hot cracking susceptibility and phase stability of the candidate alloys. By incorporating titanium and iron as alloying elements, we successfully fabricated fully dense tungsten-based alloys utilizing laser-powder bed fusion. We performed a comparative analysis of the density, microstructure, and mechanical properties of additively manufactured pure tungsten and tungsten-based alloys. Titanium and iron were melted during the printing process, effectively filling the gaps between un-melted tungsten powders and improving the relative density of the alloys. The utilization of titanium and iron as alloying elements not only enables the fabrication of fully dense alloys but also enhances material performance, making it feasible to produce intricate parts in the field of plasma fusion.