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The magnetic pulse welding (MPW) technique was employed for the end closure joining of fuel pin cladding tubes made of ferritic-martensitic (FM) steel and oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel. The technique is a solid-state impact joining process based on the electromagnetic force, similar to explosive welding. For a given set of optimal process parameters, e.g., the endplug geometry, the rigid metallurgical bonding between the tube and end plug was obtained by high-velocity impact collision accompanied with surface jetting. The joint region showed a typical wavy morphology with a narrow grain boundary-like bonding interface. There was no evidence of even local melting, and only the limited grain refinement was observed in the vicinity of the bonding interface without destructing the original reinforcement microstructure of the FM-ODS steel, i.e., a fine grain structure with oxide dispersion. No leaks were detected during helium leakage test, and moreover, the rupture occurred in the cladding tube section without leaving any joint damage during internal pressure burst test. All of the results proved the integrity and durability of the MPWed joints and signified the great potential of this method of end closure joining for advanced fast reactor fuel pin fabrication.

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The work is devoted to the development of a Cu-Nb composite material and an approach to the design of reliable tool coils, which require a magnetic field of about 40 T with a microsecond duration. A powder method has been applied to obtain homogeneous samples from a fine Cu-Nb composite alloy. The dependence of electrical and mechanical properties on annealing temperature was investigated. Layered sample was produced and tested under conditions of high magnetic field generation in comparison with a commercial wire.