Cavity formation in Tyranno-SA SiCf/SiC composite irradiated with multiple-ion beam at elevated temperatures

Abstract The microstructural evolution of Tyranno-SA SiC f /SiC composite irradiated at 800 °C and 1000 °C was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The irradiation was performed using multiple-ion beam in order to simulate the D-T fusion reactor environment. In this study, we irradiated SiC f /SiC composite made from advanced SiC fibers namely, Tyranno-SA, using dual-ion beam (6 MeV Si 3+ and 1.13 MeV He + ) and triple-ion beam (6 MeV Si 3+ , 800 keV He + , and 280 keV H + ). The effects of He and H atoms on the cavity formation during irradiation are discussed. Cavities were found mainly on the grain boundary of SiC f /SiC composite, and cavity coarsening was observed after higher temperature (1000 °C) irradiation. Hydrogen atoms in the SiC f /SiC composite will enhance cavity nucleation.