Fabrication of tungsten/copper graded material

High-temperature compression behavior of W–10wt.%Cu composite

“…Also, some Cu islands and microcracks were observed at the interface of W and Cu in the deformed samples, which formed during the hot compression process. This is due to the thermal stress that is caused by the considerable difference in thermal conductivity and thermal expansion between W and Cu [2,16,17]. Furthermore, there were more cracks in samples deformed at 1050°C in comparison with the one deformed at 900°C.…”

“…There are two main methods to produce W-Cu composite, one is sintering using W-Cu composite powder and the other one is copper infiltration method [2][3][4][5]. The infiltration method included the following process; i) pressing the tungsten particles into a desired shape, ii) sintering the compacted part, and iii) infiltrating with molten copper.…”

“…It combines the mechanical properties of each component such as excellent heat resistance, ablation resistance, high thermal and electrical conductivity, and easy machinability. It can be used in many areas such as electrical contacts, welding electrodes, electric dischargers and heat management systems [1,2]. Also, due to the high melting point and modulus of tungsten, W-Cu is desired to be used in many elevated temperature conditions such as high temperature molds, liner structures and other military applications.…”

Conceptual design study for heat exhaust management in the ARC fusion pilot plant

“…In addition, an appropriate buffer material or a graded material boundary could be used at the tungsten-Inconel interface. Tungsten/copper grades have been successfully manufactured for decades with the intention of reducing thermal stresses [65]. Further research could be pursued to explore and improve the performance of other tungsten graded materials.…”

Microwave sintering of W/Cu functionally graded materials

“…However, because of the well-known mutual insolubility and the large gap of the coefficients of thermal expansion between tungsten and copper, high residual stress and possible cracking at the interface under high heat loads usually occur and eventually lead to the failure of the materials. In order to eliminate or relax the thermal stress, the concept of W/Cu functionally graded materials (FGM) was proposed [4,5]. Nevertheless, the distinct difference in melting temperature between tungsten and copper makes it difficult to fabricate the W/Cu FGM with wide compositional distribution by conventional sintering methods [6].…”