Effect of high-dose neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties and structure of copper alloys and Cu/SS joints for ITER applications

The base copper alloys Cu–Cs–Zr IG and GlidCopAl25 IG and Cu/SS joints manufactured in Russian Federation (RF), United States (US), Europe (EU) and Japan (JA) with the HIP method were irradiated up to 2 dpa at 200°C in SM-2 reactor. Tensile tests, shear tests, metallography and SEM investigations were performed. Mechanical test results on the base alloys and joints irradiated up to 2 dpa at 200°C indicate that the trends established at lower dose (0.3–0.4 dpa) tests are still valid at higher doses. The main effect of the irradiation dose increase can be considered as a shift of the low temperature embrittlement towards higher temperatures.