First-wall structures, high heat-load

Likewise, SiC has been considered a suitable material for the coolant channels of the blankets of fusion reactors created from a SiC composite (Ward and Dudaev, 2008), and also as a low-activation structural material to protect against the excessive heat loads of the metal first wall of a potential fusion reactor (Hopkins, 1974). The key figure of merit for the latter application is a high thermal shock resistance, R", which is necessary to withstand the stresses introduced by startups and plasma disruptions, together with the thermal cycling associated with normal pulsed mode operation. In this case, Rf = Ob k (l - t lE-a, where CTj, is the flexural strength, k the thermal conductivity, v the Poisson ratio, E the modulus of elasticity, and a the coefficient of thermal expansion. 

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