The effect of vacancies and interstitials, created by irradiation, upon the macroscopic behavior of a crack was analyzed. The isolated crack was considered to be a sink of point defects. The vacancy and interstitial total flows to the crack tip and crack surfaces were calculated from the corresponding values of the so-called fictitious sink strengths of the crack tip and crack surfaces, and from the average defect diffusivity values and the average defect concentrations. From the interatomic potential which was used to describe the material, it was predicted that the crack length and the opening of the crack surfaces would be increased by irradiation.

The Effect of the Point Defects on the Behavior of a Crack Inside a Pressure Tube. A.Sarce: Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2001, 299[1], 20-7