The general physical mechanisms of radiation swelling in SiC were investigated. Recent experimental results concerning the effect of neutron and charged particle irradiation on the radiation swelling of SiC were presented. A new theoretical model was suggested for the description of radiation swelling in ceramic materials. Point defects in ceramic materials could have an effective charge (e.g., the F+ center; a vacancy with a single trapped electron). The theoretical model was based upon kinetic considerations of charged point defect accumulation and the kinetic growth of dislocation loops in the matrix; taking into account the effect of an internal electric field, created in the matrix during irradiation, upon the diffusion processes of charged point defects. The theoretical results for radiation swelling were compared with existing experimental data for irradiated SiC.

Radiation Swelling of SiC under Neutron Irradiation. A.I.Ryazanov, A.V.Klaptsov, A.Kohyama, H.Kishimoto: Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2002, 307-311[2], 1107-11