Fusion materials semiannual progress report for the period ending December 31, 1997

This is the twenty-third in a series of semiannual technical progress reports on fusion materials. This report combines the full spectrum of research and development activities on both metallic and non-metallic materials with primary emphasis on the effects of the neutronic and chemical environment on the properties and performance of materials for in-vessel components. This effort forms one element of the materials program being conducted in support of the Fusion Energy Sciences Program of the US Department of Energy. The other major element of the program is concerned with the interactions between reactor materials and the plasma and is reported separately. The Fusion Materials Program is a national effort involving several national laboratories, universities, and industries. A large fraction of this work, particularly in relation to fission reactor experiments, is carried out collaboratively with their partners in Japan, Russia, and the European Union. The purpose of this series of reports is to provide a working technical record for the use of the program participants, and to provide a means of communicating the efforts of materials scientists to the rest of the fusion community, both nationally and worldwide. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database