A remotely operated FIMEC apparatus for the mechanical characterization of neutron irradiated materials

From Flat-top Cylinder Indenter for Mechanical Characterization (FIMEC) test yield stress and tensile strength can be obtained. Results regarding different materials, most of them of fusion interest, show the general validity of the method. Moreover, indication on the ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of martensitic steels has been drawn by performing tests at different temperatures. FIMEC offers the possibility to perform several tests on a small volume of material, e.g. it has been estimated that 18 indentations can be made on a single disk (Phi = 25 mm, h = 5 mm), For this reason, its application is of interest to characterize materials irradiated in the future IFMIF or in other sources. with a limited irradiation volume. A remotely operated apparatus has been designed and costructed to work in hot cell on irradiated samples. It employs a WC punch (Phi = 1 mm) and can operate at temperatures in the range between -180 degrees C and +200 degrees C. Details of the apparatus are presented. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.