Mechanical properties of F82H/316L and 316L/316L welds upon the target back-plate of IFMIF

The current material design of the International fusion materials irradiation facility (IFMIF) back-plate in Japan consists of an austenitic stainless steel type-316L and a RAF/M steel type-F82H. The 316L and F82H are welded together. The 316L region of the back-plate is also welded to the target assembly made of 316L. The back-plate operates under a severe neutron irradiation condition (50 dpa/year). Therefore, it is important to perform metallurgical and mechanical tests for these welds in engineering design of the IFMIF. The F82H/316L weld joint with a filler metal type-Y309 was fabricated using TIG-welding method, followed by PWHT at 1013 K for 1 h. The 316L/316L weld joint was fabricated using YAG-laser welding method. The F82H/316L TIG-weld was found to be satisfactory. However, although the 316L/316L YAG-weld showed no harmful defect, the hardness was somewhat lower in the weld metal. Rupture occurred in the weld metal, and strength and elongation decreased somewhat. Furthermore, small dimples with several large voids were also visible in the fracture surface.