Influence of impurities on the fracture behaviour of tungsten

Ten tungsten materials with different impurity concentrations and different microstructures have been investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with respect to their fracture behaviour. For almost all samples, both inter- and transgranular fracture are observed, and the proportion of each type varies. Due to the difference in their impurity content and grain boundary area, a large variation in the grain boundary impurities can be expected. By analysing the fracture surfaces the effect of grain boundary impurities, especially phosphorous and oxygen, on the fracture resistance of the boundaries was determined. The results indicate that for the analysed tungsten materials, grain boundary impurities do not have a significant influence on the fracture resistance of the boundaries. Other factors such as the size and shape of the grains, the amount of deformation and therefore the density of dislocations within the grains have a greater impact on the fracture behaviour of tungsten.