[en] A model is suggested to describe the mechanics of fragmentation when a liquid or solid body disassembles under intense isochoric heating. The model is based on the concept that surface area created in the fragmentation process is governed by an equilibrium balance of the surface energy and a local inertial or kinetic energy. An expression is derived for the resulting fragment size as a function of the initial size, the specific energy deposited, and thermomechanical properties of the material. The theory is applied to calculate the blanket break-up due to neutron heating in the HYLIFE and Cascade Chamber inertial confinement fusion reactors