In-beam mechanical testing of CuCrZr

In the ITER design, CuCrZr has been selected as the heat sink material for components of the first wall and the divertor. The objective of this work is to check the material fatigue performance when the CuCrZr alloy is cyclically deformed concurrently with irradiation, using an in situ testing machine placed in a 590 MeV proton accelerator. Three fatigue experiments have been conducted at 100 °C, under strain control, at a total strain range of 0.8%. The in-beam specimen reached the longest life. The post-irradiation tested specimen had the shortest life. The total plastic strain measured in the in-beam specimen was larger than the plastic strain measured in the statically irradiated specimen or in the unirradiated specimen.