Mechanical behavior of the ITER TF model coil ground insulation system after reactor irradiation

The mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) suggested for the turn and ground insulation of the ITER toroidal field (TF) coils are subject to extensive investigations with respect to their design requirements at present. The insulation system used for the ITER TF model coil, manufactured by European industry, consists of a boron-free R-glass fiber reinforced tape, vacuum-pressure impregnated in a DGEBA epoxy system and partly interleaved with polyimide-foils (e.g. Kapton-H-foils). In order to assess the material performance under the actual operating conditions of ITER-FEAT, the system was irradiated in the TRIGA reactor (Vienna, Austria) to neutron fluences of 5×10 21 and 1×10 22 m −2 ( E>0.1 MeV). The composite was screened at 77 K using static tensile, short-beam-shear (SBS) as well as double-lap-shear tests prior to and after irradiation. Furthermore, tension–tension fatigue measurements were done in order to simulate the pulsed ITER-FEAT operation. We observe that the mechanical strength and the fracture behavior of these GFRPs after irradiation are strongly influenced by the three factors: the winding direction of the tape, the quality of fabrication and the delamination process.