Electron beam weld of copper in the background image

At the Department of Materials Science, long-term research on electron beam welded copper has been carried out in close collaboration with Posiva Ltd. Electron beam welding (EBW) is one of the techniques that can be used to seal the spent nuclear fuel final disposal canister. An alternative for EBW is Friction Stir Welding (FSW), which have also been studied at TUT. These welding processes are used in a wide range of industrial applications, such as air planes, components for the automotive industry, trains, ships, and space shuttles.

In the background image, the feather-like microstructure of the copper electron beam weld has been revealed by etching with nitric acid. The solidification lines of the weld are seen as thin curved lines.

The contact person is Laboratory Manager Antti Hynnä.