Radiation hardness of newly developed ITER relevant insulation systems

The application of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) as insulating materials for the superconducting (SC) magnet coils of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) fusion device imposes high demands on the material performance. Therefore, GFRPs with improved mechanical and electrical properties are of special interest. One of the most promising matrix materials for higher radiation resistance is the cyanate ester system. Two innovative insulation systems with boron-free S-glass fiber reinforcements and cyanate ester based matrix compositions were irradiated in the TRIGA reactor (Vienna, Austria) to neutron fluences of 1×1021, 1×1022 and 5×1022 m−2 (E>0.1 MeV). After irradiation, swelling and weight loss were measured prior to static and dynamic tensile as well as interlaminar shear testing at 77 K.