Creep of zirconium and zirconium alloys has been labeled ''anomalous.'' Researchers often report that zirconium and its alloys never reach true steady state creep and have stress exponents that continuously change with stress and temperature. Many varied interpretations have been offered explaining the creep behavior of zirconium. Some have suggested that creep is diffusion controlled, while others maintain that creep is dislocation glide controlled. Cumulative zirconium creep data will be presented based on an extensive literature review. An interpretation of results will be presented and compared to previous interpretations.

Safe interim dry storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) must be maintained for a minimum of twenty years according to the Code of Federal Regulations. The most important variable that must be regulated by dry storage licensees in order to meet current safety standards is the temperature of the SNF. The two currently accepted models to define the maximum allowable storage temperature for SNF are based on a diffusion controlled cavity growth (DCCG) failure mechanism for the cladding. Although these models are based on the same fundamental failure theory (DCCG), the researchers who developed the models made different assumptions, including selection of some of the most critical variables in the DCCG failure equation. These inconsistencies are discussed together with recommended modifications to the failure models based on recent data.

This work describes recent advances on the effects of subgrain boundaries on elevated-temperature plasticity. Particular attention is devoted to recent developments regarding internal back-stresses. This will include discussions of recent convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) experiments on metals to evaluate internal stresses in association with dislocation heterogeneities.