When graphite is irradiated by fast neutrons, damage to the crystal structure causes changes of the graphite dimensions. In the graphite blocks comprising the core of a nuclear reactor, there are differential dimensional changes, thus stresses are developed, analogous to thermal stresses in a body in which there are spatial variations of temperature.
The stresses are partially relaxed by an irradiation-induced creep of the graphite. In this paper the authors present a method of predicting the stresses which makes allowance for the relaxation by irradiation creep.
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