The aim of thermonuclear fusion research is to confine a hot deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasma long enough so that fusion reactions between hydrogen isotope ions occur, leading to a commercial power generation. The successful operation of fusion devices depends on the development of plasma facing components (PFCs) which can withstand the surface heat loads of up to 20 MW/m2 under quasi-stationary conditions. Copper alloys have been considered as a structural material for the heat sink substrate of a PFC due to their excellent thermal conductivity. However, insufficient high temperature strength and large thermal expansion set the limitations to structural applications. Fiber-reinforced metal matrix composites (FRMMCs) can be a candidate for a structural material for the future PFCs due to the excellent high temperature strength. Since the FRMMCs of the PFCs are exposed to thermal and mechanical loads, the resulting stress fields in mesoscopic level is highly heterogeneous and often exceed the yield limit of the matrix. The shakedown limit was investigated as the safety criterion of the FRMMCs considering the fusion-relevant thermomechanical loads. In principle, it is possible to determine the macro- and mesoscopic stress states by means of finite element method (FEM), in which the real FRMMC architecture is modeled by direct meshing. Surely, this is not a practical approach since it requires a high computational cost. In this case, shakedown analysis can be an appropriate tool to estimate structural safety. The shakedown theorems were formulated by several researchers. Further, these could be combined with FEM and the large-scale nonlinear optimization program and applied to complex system. In this work, the shakedown formulation was extended to three-dimensional models. The developed computational algorithm was verified by comparing with literature results. The shakedown limits were determined for both lamina and laminate of FRMMC composite system. The results showed that shakedown limits were dependent on geometrical factor (fiber architecture and fiber volume fraction), loading direction, thermal loading, and hardening effect. They were discussed based on the maximum value and the distribution of von Mises stress. The stress and temperature loading paths of FRMMC components were determined in the fusion-relevant loading. The thermomechanical loading paths obtained were compared with the shakedown limits. The results showed that the loading paths in the real operation situation were only partly covered by the area of shakedown limit. It was interpreted that the FRMMC layers may undergo low cycle fatigue.
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The aim of thermonuclear fusion research is to confine a hot deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasma long enough so that fusion reactions between hydrogen isotope ions occur, leading to a commercial power generation. The successful operation of fusion devices depends on the development of plasma facing components (PFCs) which can withstand the surface heat loads of up to 20 MW/m2 under quasi-stationary conditions. Copper alloys have been considered as a structural material for the heat sink substrate of...
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