Abstract During a plasma disruption in Ignitor [B. Coppi, IGNITOR Project Group, Engineering Design Description, Ignitor Programme, RLE Report no. PTP 96/03, December 1996], the electromagnetic (EM) loads are so large to require a dynamic elastic–plastic structural analysis of the plasma chamber (PC). A 30° sector of PC has been modeled. Static, dynamic and low cycle fatigue analyses under eddy and halo currents have been performed. It is shown that a PC wall thickness optimization limits the displacements within the clearance with toroidal coil. The fatigue lifetime is longer than the number of disruption events at the maximum performance.