It is said that “Those who dominate materials, dominate technology”. In also fusion technology, one of keys to realizing fusion power generation is creation of tough materials resistant enough for the harsh environment in fusion reactors. In this program, students handle vanadium alloy under development for fusion reactors. The students prepare specimens of the alloys by machining and heat treatment on their own. The students also examine a hardness test as one of evaluation experiments for materials strength. In order to understand work hardening of metals and its recovery by heat treatments, the students will learn fundamentals of materials theory.

A 50 g-melted button of vanadium alloy for fusion reactors