ELSEVIER Materials Science and Engineering A234-236 (1997) 154- 156

Creep behaviors of highly pure aluminum at lower temperatures

Keisuke Ishikawa *, Hiroshi Okuda, Yasuo Kobayashi
Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Toyo University, 2100 Kujirai-Nakanodai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350, Japan

Received 22 January 1997

Abstract

We have carried out experiments on the creep behaviors of pure aluminums at lower temperatures from a phenomenological
viewpoint. The creep curves are classified into three regions; the transient, steady-state and terminal ones. The creep curve changes
from a logarithmic to a constant strain rate curve at a higher applied stress. The creep curves yield a constant creep rate for a
long period though lattice diffusion is less active at 293 K. The creep rate depends upon the applied stress. Cyclic stressing has
an effect on the creep life of the materials. Both increasing and decreasing the applied stress reduce the rupture time. Since the
steady-state creep is associated with the stable structure, is takes time to shift to the new structure built under the different applied
stress. The hysteresis effect does some damage to the creep life of the pure aluminum. 0 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.

Keywords: Cyclic stressing; Low-temperature creep; Pure aluminum; Steady-state creep

1. Introduction were homogenized at 775 K. The experiments were

carried out under a constant tensile load at 293 and 373
Plastic deformation in metals is not homogeneous in K.
polycrystals as well as in single crystals. Plastic defor-
mation in pure and soft metals has been investigated
under tensile tests under constant load. The elongation 3. Results and discussion
characteristics are understood as a creep curve. The
creep behaviors of ductile metals at lower temperatures 3.1. Creep curves of pure aluminum at lower
have not been investigated comprehensively compared temperatures
with those at higher temperatures [1,2]. First of all, we
have studied the basic properties of creep, i.e., the creep Creep behaviors have been a typical plastic deforma-
curve around an ambient temperature. The effect of the tion of crystalline solids at higher temperatures. At
applied stress and the purity of the materials on the higher temperatures above half the melting point, the
creep curves was examined at 293 and 373 K. We then diffusion is predominant and so can stimulate the plas-
studied the effect of the cyclic stressing on the creep tic deformation [3]. Diffusion-assisted deformation
behaviors, that is, the rupture time. takes place through the dislocation sliding and climb-
ing. Moreover, diffusion can heal the deformed mi-
crostructures and the work hardening does not
accumulate in the matrix [l]. Hence, deformation pro-
2. Experiments
Table 1
The materials used for this experiment are 5N, 4N Chemical composition of pure aluminum tested (mass’%)
and 3N pure aluminums, whose chemical composition
Al Si Fe cu Ti Impurities
is shown in Table 1. The gauge length of the specimen Me
was 15 mm with a diameter of 5 mm. All specimens
3N 0.031 0.061 Tr Tr 0.1
4N 0.0023 0.0025 0.0022 0.0052 0.0122
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 492 391330; fax: +81 492 5N 0.0002 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0005
339779; e-mail: ishikawa@krc.eng.toyo.ac.jp

0921-5093/97/$17.00 0 1997 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

PII SO921 -5093(97)00204-9
 K. Ishikawa et al. /Materials Science and Engineering A234-236 (1997) 1546156

1 OXlO 1 OXlO 1.0x10 -5

41 MPa
H
1 0x10-’ 2
2
cc
1 ox1o-2 0
& 10x10 -6
6 n
f 4 1.ox1o-3 i%
d z
L
z
a 10x10-’ 1 oxd 5 :
5 10x10 -I n
i?i B
0 1 0x10-” w
cf z n
0
41MPa 5
1.0x1 o-= G
10x10 -8
10x10-’

1.0x1 o.2 1 ox1o-8

0 10x10 -9
1 OxlO 2 ox, 06 3.0x106 4 OXIOD
TIME/set 30 40 50
APPLIED STRESWMPa
Fig. 1. Creep curves of 4N aluminum under different stresses at 293
K. Fig. 2. Stress dependence of steady-state creep rate for respective
aluminums.
cess is homogeneous as the viscous medium [3]. We
often recognize the homogeneous deformation, namely in Fig. 2. We have got the experimental equation of
steady-state creep behaviors for a wide strain range. dsjdt -a(a)“, where a and n are constants. Since the
Hence, the steady-state region is a large part of the constant, n, appears to be independent of the purity of
creep life of the high-temperature material. Lower tem- aluminum, the creep mechanisms would be similar re-
peratures, however, exclude the effect of diffusion on gardless of the difference in their strength.
creep behaviors of crystalline solids and the work hard-
ening is more matter at the initial stage of plastic 3.3. Effect of temperature
deformation. Therefore, it has been understood that
steady-state creep is not observed even for a pure metal The temperature dependence of the creep curve is
at lower temperatures. We have observed a long period also shown in Fig. 3. At 373 K, 5N aluminum does not
of constant strain rate for pure aluminum at lower exhibit clear steady-state creep under 27 MPa. The
temperatures below half the melting point. The whole effect of temperature is drastic and critical on the creep
creep curves of 4N pure aluminum are shown in Fig. 1. behavior of pure aluminum. While we have not recog-
The primary creep, so-called Andrade creep, is also nized recrystallization in these experimental conditions,
observed for each materials. Recently, critical com- the role of diffusion will be active and important. That
ments on the detail of the mechanism have been pub- would accelerate the plastic deformation and result in
lished [4]. In this experiment, our materials are in the shortened rupture [5,6].
region of the low-temperature creep. The temperature
TIT,,, z 0.3-0.4 and the stress o/p z 10p3. T,,, is the
melting temperature and ~1 the shear modulus of alu- ’ ox’oo
I ’ OX’OO
minum, while T and cr are the test temperature and the 1 0x1 o-1

applied tensile stress, respectively.

1 ox1o-2 7
z
z
3.2. Effect of applied stress 293K - 1 0x10-3 @
’
d
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn- 1.0x10-~
The creep curve depends upon the applied stress. As k?l 4
the applied stress increases, the curve changes from a
B :0
logarithmic creep to a steady-state creep (Fig. 1). The
- 10x10”
4N aluminum under 36 MPa yields a logarithmic creep,
which is namely an exhausted creep. The creep rate
decreases with time and no creep fracture is observed.
0
On the other hand, the specimen under 41 MPa pre- 2 OXlO 4 OXlO 6 0x1 o4
TIME/set
sents a steady-state creep and fractures after the ternary
creep. The steady-state creep rate is a function of the Fig. 3. Effect of temperature on creep curves for 5N aluminum
applied stress. The relationship between them is shown deformed under 27 MPa.
156 K. Ishikawa et al. /Materials Science and Engineering A234-236 (1997) 154-156

the structure under deformation. The structure built

during the steady-state creep is stable and unchanging.
Hence, the structure does not easily transform to a new
43,2MPa.‘40 8MPa stress state and the damage received during the transi-
b tion is accumulated in the material. That would result
1 0x10-3 : in the reduced total life.
2
1 0x10-4 2
a
2MPa.‘40 8MPa 43.2MPa
1 0x10-5 i
p: 4. Conclusions
1 0x1 o-6

Steady-state creep (secondary creep) is observed for

,.ox1o-7
pure aluminum subjected to a higher stress even at low
1 0x10-8 temperatures. The creep rate depends upon the applied
0 5.0x105 1 OXlO stress. The cyclic stressing reduces the creep life whether
TIME/set
it is increasing or decreasing.
Fig. 4. Effect of cyclic stressing on creep curves and rupture life of 4N
aluminum at 293 K.

3.4. Effect of cyclic stressing References

[l] S. Takeuchi, AS. Argon, J. Mater. Sci. 11 (1976) 1542.

We have observed an interesting effect of the cyclic [2] J.D. Embury, in: A. Kelly, R.B. Nicholson (Eds.), Strengthening
stressing on the creep behaviors and the total life of the Methods in Crystals, Elsevier, New York, 1971, p. 331.
materials. We carried out two cases of experiment; one [3] J. Weertman, in: R.W. Cahn (Ed.), Physical Metallurgy, North-
is incremental stressing and another is decremental Holland, London, 1965, p. 795.
stressing within the steady-state creep region. In both [4] A.H. Cottrell, Philos. Mag. A 74 (1996) 1041.
[5] R.W. Evans, B. Wilshire, Introduction to Creep, The Institute of
cases, we have observed substantially reduced creep life Materials, 1993, p. 36.
compared with the constant stress condition (Fig. 4). [6] F. Garofaro, Fundamentals of Creep and CreeppRupture in
The results suggest that a hysteresis effect comes from Metals, 1966, p. 202.