Carbide particle-reinforced tungsten composites in extreme hazard environments: Ablation, thermal shock, and finite element calculation

The ablation as well as the associated thermal shock resistance of tungsten composites reinforced by TiC and ZrC particles is investigated with an oxyacetylene equipment. 30TiC/W (30TiC stands for 30 vol. % TiC particle content in tungsten, the same below) and 40TiC/W fail to withstand the thermal shock of 2000°C/s during heating. In contrast, 30ZrC/W and 40ZrC/W withstand the thermal shock. Additionally, ZrC/W composites exhibit better ablation resistance than TiC/W composites. The thermal stress fields of the composite at both macro-/micro-scales induced by thermal shock at the early stage of the ablation are analyzed using finite element method. The calculated results of the damage mode of the composites show that crack initiates at the disk sample peripheral zone and then propagates to the sample center, which is consistent with the experimental observation.