Mechanical and thermomechanical properties of commercially pure chromium and chromium alloys

The mechanical and thermal properties of commercially pure chromium and the chromium-based alloys Cr-5Fe-1Y(2)O(3) and Cr-44Fe-5A1-0.3Ti-0.5Y(2)O(3) have been investigated in order to determine the thermal stress factor of these materials and to assess their capability to withstand high-thermal loads in fusion applications. Especially the alloy Cr5Fe-1Y(2)O(3) combines sufficient mechanical strength at temperatures up to 1000 degreesC, high-thermal conductivity and a low-thermal expansion coefficient to yield the lowest thermal stress factor of all metallic candidate materials for first wall and blanket applications. The high-ductile-to-brittle transition temperature may lead to a rather high value for the lower operation-temperature limit. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.