Transient high heat load tests on pure ultra-fine grained tungsten fabricated by resistance sintering under ultra-high pressure

Ultra-fine grained tungsten specimens with a grain size from the submicron range to several microns were fabricated by resistance sintering under ultra-high pressure. Transient heat loads were applied on the tungsten specimens at room temperature for a pulsed duration of 5 ms at different power density of 0.22, 0.33, 0.44 and 0.55 GW m−2, respectively, by using an electron beam facility. The crack formations and surface melting behaviors under transient heat load were investigated.