Materials and design interface

The unprecedented demands faced by fusion structures primarily derive from severe time varying thermal-mechanical loading of complex, large scale, and highly interconnected heat transfer-energy conversion structures. This grand challenge is often much too narrowly couched in terms of the development of radiation damage resistant materials, while the enormously larger challenge is the creation of material systems and multifunctional structures. In addition, the fusion system designer is faced with the untenable situation that neither the fully functional materials, nor the requisite computational tools, nor experimental simulation facilities currently exist for reliable integrity and lifetime assessments of fusion reactor structures. Considering the absence of material information and design tools, neither the materials nor the fusion designer can follow standard design processes. The design process has to become actively materials-related while materials development must closely follow design process needs. This indispensible interaction between materials and design processes leads to a ‘concurrent materials-structure design’ path, which is necessary to meet the enormous materials-structural engineering challenges of fusion.