Material damage to beryllium, carbon, and tungsten under severe thermal shocks

Material damage and erosion of plasma facing material and components due to severe thermal shocks which occur during disruptions and vertical displacement events have been investigated experimentally using electron beam devices. The deposited energy densities were less than or equal to 12 MJ m(-2) (disruption simulation) and 60 MJ m(-2) (VDE simulation); effective pulse durations were 5 ms and 1 s, respectively. The resulting material degradation was determined by weight loss measurements, profilometry, metallography and scanning electron microscopy. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.