Abstract：Tungsten possesses unique physical and chemical properties and mechanical properties, and is widely applied in nuclear energy, aerospace, micro-electromechanical systems and so on as structural materials. The plastic deformation and fracture behavior of tungsten play an important role in affecting its service state. However, tungsten shows different mechanical behaviors from other metal materials, such as non-Schmid effect, tension and compression asymmetry, low fracture toughness and anisotropy, size effect and temperature effect. These behaviors are closely related to the microstructure of tungsten, such as dislocation, grain boundary, grain size and crystallography orientation. Additionally, the generation of dislocations, dislocation rings and other microstructural defects as a result of high-energy particle interactions with tungsten atoms during irradiation conditions has a substantial impact on the plastic deformation and fracture behavior of tungsten. Discovering the physical link between microstructure and mechanical behavior for tungsten, elucidating how irradiation affects mechanical behavior of tungsten have become popular research topics in recent years. This paper reviews the experimental, simulative and theoretical research progresses on the mechanical behavior of tungsten from the atomic scale, the dislocation scale and the single crystal scale to the polycrystalline macroscopic scale. Finally, some key problems for the future study of tungsten are prospected.
2023, Vol. 44 
