Development and testing of ion-irradiation under the applied stress for nuclear ceramics

Abstract

Simultaneous effects of the ion-irradiation and applied stress on the dimensional stability of SiC was studied up to 1 dpa at the irradiation temperature of 800°C. Tensioned surface of the curved SiC strips were irradiated using fixtures developed, and the irradiation creep strain of the irradiated samples was estimated from the irradiated curvatures. The irradiation creep rates were nearly proportional to the swelling rates. Linear relationship between the irradiation creep strain and stress was found below 1 dpa for the stress levels ranging 150-300 MPa. © 2011 Ceramic Society of Japan..