Vacuum plasma spray tungsten (VPS-W) coating created on a carbon fibre reinforced composite (CFC)
was tested under two thermal load schemes in the electron beam facility to examine the operation limits
and failure modes. In cyclic ELM-like short transient thermal loads, the VPS-W coating was destroyed
sub-layer by sub-layer at 0.33 GW/m2 for 1 ms pulse duration. At longer single pulses, simulating
steady-state thermal loads, the coating was destroyed at surface temperatures above 2700 C by melting
of the rhenium containing multilayer at the interface between VPS-W and CFC. The operation limits and
failure modes of the VPS-W coating in the thermal load schemes are discussed in detail.