Void swelling and irradiation creep have been predicted to possibly influence the performance of stainless steel internals in LWRs, especially in PWRs where very high dpa levels can be attained in some components. Each of these damage processes is thought to be sensitive to displacement rate. This consideration is particularly important when attempting to apply data and insight gained from high-flux fast reactors to lower-flux LWR applications. In this paper it is shown that B-0, the creep compliance of irradiation creep, is not dependent on displacement rate as was previously thought, but the swelling-driven component of irradiation creep is flux-sensitive. Evidence is also presented to show that the lower fluxes inherent in LWR application lead to voids being formed:at lower doses and at lower-than-expected temperatures compared to predictions developed from high-flux fast reactor data. This is a consequence of the "temperature-shift'' phenomenon, whereby the temperature regime of swelling shifts with changes in displacement rate. Evidence is also presented to show that at doses in the 73-83 dpa range, at least one austenitic steel can reach swelling levels-in excess of 10% at 335-365 degrees C, resulting in very brittle steel that is subject to failure under either shock loading or slow strain rate conditions.
