Thermal shock behavior of W-0.5 wt% Y2O3 alloy prepared via a novel chemical method

A wet-chemical method combined with spark plasma sintering was used to prepare W-0.5 wt% Y2O3 alloy. The W-0.5 wt% Y2O3 precursor was reduced at 800 °C for 4 h under different hydrogen flow rates of 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 ml/min. The reduced powder was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser particle size analyzer (LPSA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An optimized process for reducing precursor was discussed. After sintering, the specimens were exposed to different laser beam irradiation energies (90, 120, 150, and 180 W) to simulate loads as expected for edge localized modes (ELMs). Top surface and cross-sectional morphology were observed by SEM, and the changes in hardness were evaluated. The changes in microstructural properties (i.e., Y2O3-particle distribution, crack propagation direction, depth of thermal shock effect, and grain size of the recrystallization region) after thermal shock were investigated.