Paper Title
THE EFFECT OF IRRADIATION ON THE CREEP OF METALS

Abstract
This paper undertakes a complex and thorough investigation into the phenomenon of irradiation hardening. The effect of the irradiation on the subsequent creep strain is considered, with experimental records indicating a unique slowing down of the creep strain of metals in a post-radiated state compared to ordinary creep. This tendency intensifies with the preliminary flux. The mathematical apparatus for modeling the irradiation hardening presented here is developed via the extension of the Synthetic theory of inelastic deformation to the case when the irradiation influences the development of the creep strain. A new notion, the irradiation-induced defect intensity, is introduced into the constitutive relationships of the Synthetic theory, which is defined on the base of the physical phenomena and processes accompanying the irradiation and the post-irradiated creep. The model results fit the experimental data well, making it possible to utilize the model presented here to predict the creep properties of metals in the post-radiated state. Keywords - irradiation hardening, creep strain, primary creep, secondary creep.