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Hydride precipitation and dissolution in a zirconium matrix have been simulated numerically using a finite element technique. The evolution of the accommodation energy associated with such phase transformations has been evaluated for isotropic and anisotropic misfitting hydrides in an infinite stress-free body. It was found that there is an optimal hydride shape for which the accommodation energy required for hydride precipitation or dissolution is a minimum. It was also found that the accommodation energy gap (i.e. the free energy gap) that exists between hydride precipitation and dissolution is smaller than the value previously calculated.

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