Macroscopic elastic stress and strain produced by irradiation

Abstract Using the notion of eigenstrain produced by defects formed in a material exposed to high energy neutron irradiation, we develop method for computing macroscopic elastic stress and strain arising components fusion power plant during operation. In microstructurally isotropic material, primary cause fields is spatial variation exposure. We show that under traction-free boundary conditions, volume-average always vanishes, signifying formation spatially heterogeneous state, combining compressive tensile deformations at different locations same component, resulting solely from radiation Several case studies pertinent design are analysed analytically numerically, showing varying distribution produces significant stresses ion-irradiated thin films, pressurised cylindrical tubes breeding blanket modules.