Creep Test

Creep
Constant true stress constant strain rate creep

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 Creep rate

  d  / dt   / t
 The instantaneous strain, contains elastic strain and possibly plastic
strain depending on the stress level. In the primary creep stage, the
creep rate, decreases with time. The decreasing creep rate in the
primary creep stage has been attributed to strain hardening or to a
decrease in free or mobile dislocations.
 In the secondary creep stage, the creep rate remains constant. This
creep rate is designated as a steady-state creep rate, is commonly
attributed to a state of balance between the rate of generation of
dislocations contributing to hardening and the rate of recovery
contributing to softening. At high homologous temperatures, creep
mainly involves diffusion and hence the recovery rate is high enough
to balance the strain hardening and results in the appearance of
secondary or steady-state creep.
 In the tertiary creep stage, the creep rate increases with time until rupture.

 It should be remembered that under the constant tensile load, the stress
continuously increases as creep proceeds or as cross-section decreases and
a pronounced effect of increase in stress on the creep rate appears in the
tertiary creep stage. Necking of the specimens before rupture causes a
significant increase in stress.

 The increase in creep rate with time in the tertiary creep stage can follow
from increasing stress or from microstructure evolution including damage
evolution taking place during creep.

 Microstructure evolution usually consists of dynamic recovery, dynamic

recrystallization, coarsening of precipitates and other phenomena, which
cause softening and result in a decrease in resistance to creep. Damage
evolution includes the development of creep voids and cracks, often along
grain boundaries.
Under certain conditions, the secondary or steady-state creep
stage may be absent, so that immediately after the primary creep
stage the tertiary creep stage begins, as shown in Fig. In this case,
the minimum creep rate, can be defined instead of the steady-
stage creep rate.

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Creep tests can be conducted either at constant load or at constant stress. For
experimental convenience, most frequently the creep tests of engineering
metals are conducted at constant tensile load and at constant temperature.

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Creep: stress and temperature effects

With increasing stress

or temperature:
 The instantaneous strain increases
 The steady-state creep rate increases
 The time to rupture decreases
 For a given time the strain is more
 Structural changes during creep

 Primary creep:

Work hardening due to the formation of

a subgrain /cell structure in metals of
high SFE
Structural changes during creep
 Structural changes during creep

Result show decreasing d (increasing misorientation angle) during primary

and ‘‘early’’ steady-state creep
 Structural changes during creep

 The dislocations within the subgrain

interior are generally believed to be
in the form of a Frank network

 A three-dimensional Frank network

of dislocations within a subgrain or
grain
 Structural changes during creep

 Secondary creep:
Predominates at T>0.5 Tm

In the secondary, or steady-state, creep, dislocation structure and grain size have
reached equilibrium, and therefore strain rate is constant. Stress dependence of this
rate depends on the creep mechanism.