The development of advanced vanadium alloys for fusion applications

As an alternative choice for fusion application, V alloyed with 6-8 wt%W has been studied. The results showed that W could strengthen the alloy at room temperature, more effectively than Ti or Cr. With both additions of Ti and W, the recovery and recrystallization of the alloys behaved similarly to V-4Cr-4Ti, but the behavior was strongly influenced by the concentration of the interstitial impurities in solid solution. Similar behavior to V-4Cr-4Ti was also found for V-6W-1Ti on hydrogen embrittlement. V-6W-1Ti seemed to have better properties for hydrogen embrittlement due to its low hydrogen absorption rate. Significant differences in oxidation behavior in air were not observed for the alloys investigated. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.