Role of internal stresses in the transient of irradiation growth of Zircaloy-2

A ''self-consistent'' polycrystalline model is used to simulate irradiation growth of Zircaloy-2 samples irradiated at about 330 K. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental measurements obtained from specimens irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho Falls. Three types of material are studied here, i.e, annealed, cold worked in tension and cold worked by rolling. In general, the growth rate attains a steady state value after it goes through a transient that depends on the initial state of the material. The transient growth behaviour is explained in terms of the evolution of intergranular residual stresses that are present in the sample, and in terms of the dislocation structure. From this study, information regarding irradiation creep and growth mechanisms occurring at the single crystal level is obtained.