Stress Waves Induced by Heat Transfer in Nuclear Applications

Rapid heating by x-rays and ions in Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) chambers will produce stress waves in dry chamber walls, in some cases leading to damage that will ultimately fail the structure. These waves can affect the surface or propagate to the substrate and produce delamination. Hence, it is important that these waves be understood. Models exist for thermally induced stress waves resulting from surface heating, but models with volumetric heating have not been presented for IFE conditions. In this book, models are developed for elastic stresses caused by rapid volumetric heating in a half-space. The stress wave models are obtained analytically by using Laplace transforms and compared to a finite element analysis. Different heating distributions which cover the relevant heating for a typical IFE threat are discussed. Results are given for both x-ray and ion heating using threats from a direct drive target.