Review of candidate welding processes of RAFM steels for ITER test blanket modules and DEMO

EUROFER weldability is investigated in support of the European TBM manufacturing. Electron beam, hybrid, laser and NGTIG processes have been carried out on the EUROFER-97 steel (thickness up to 40mm), a reduced activation ferritic–martensitic steel. It is shown that the most promising processes are laser, electron beam and hybrid welding, depending on the section size and accessibility. They produce similar welding results with high joint coefficients and are well adapted for minimizing residual distortions. The FZ are typically composed of martensite laths, with small grain sizes. In the HAZ, martensite grains contain carbide precipitates. High hardness values are measured in all these zones that if not tempered would degrade toughness and creep resistance. A one step PWHT (750°C/3h) is successfully applied to joints restoring good material performance. Distortion levels, with and without PWHT, are controlled through adaptation of manufacturing steps and clamping devices, obtaining levels not exceeding 120μm (+/−60μm) on a full “one cell mock-up”.