The objective of this experiment is :

1. To understand the stage that is involved in the creep test.

2. To experimentally obtain the creep curve.
3. To identify the properties of material while subjected to a tensile load.
4. To measure the rate of deformation of the material to stress at a constant
temperature.

introduction

Creep is defined as time-dependent plastic deformation (elongation) of the

metal at a constant tensile load. It is also defined as high temperature progressive
deformation at constant stress. "High temperature" is a relative term dependent upon
the materials involved. Creep rates are used in evaluating materials for boilers, gas
turbines, jet engines, ovens, or any application that involves high temperatures under
load. Understanding high temperature behavior of metals is useful in designing failure
resistant systems. A creep test can be studied by measuring the permanent extension,
after various time intervals, of test-pieces maintained at a constant temperature.
Measurements of strain are then recorded over a period of time as in Figure 1. After
the initial instantaneous extension, it shows that creep occurs in three stages :

Stage 1 (Primary creep) : This stage occurs at the beginning of the tests, and
creep is mostly transiently, not at a steady rate. Resistance to creep increases until
stage 2 (secondary creep) is reached.

Stage 2 (Secondary creep) : The rate of creep becomes roughly steady. This
stage is often referred to as steady state creep.

Stage 3 (Tertiary creep) : The creep rate begins to accelerate as the cross
sectional area of the specimen decreases due to necking or internal voiding decreases
the effective area of the specimen. If stage 3 is allowed to proceed, fracture will occur.

In many cases, the three parts of the curve are not clearly distinguishable. To
obtain a complete picture of the creep properties of a material, it is necessary to
construct creep curves for a range of stresses over a range of temperature. Such curves
as shown in Figure 2 usually show that, as the applied stress decreased the primary
creep is also decreases, secondary creep is prolonged, and the possible extension
during tertiary creep tends to increase. Very low applied stress may mean that tertiary
creep dies not occur even after lengthy service life.
 Figure 1 : Typical creep curve of strain versus time at constant stress and elevated
temperature Figure 2 : Influence of stress σ and temperature T on creep behavior
theory
The most commonly used expression for relating secondary
creep rate ε to stress σ and absolute temperature T has the
form:

The equation shows that the creep rate is increased by

raising either the stress or the temperature. Taking natural
logarithms gives:

Where:
ε is the creep rate.
n is a constant and equals to 10
R is the universal gas constant (8.31 J/mol.K)
E is the activation energy for creep in metals (120 kJ/mol).
σ is the stress.
A and B are constants.
α is a constant and approximately equals to 0.85.
Most metals have a stress exponent of about (n = 5) and this
value is also applicable in the case of lead, but only when the
stress is below about 5 N/mm. At higher stress levels the

exponent n increases to about 10, and eventually the simple

power law of Equation 2 ceases.
A plot of Ln ε against σ will therefore yield a straight line of
slope α. If the stress is in units on N/mm2 (or MN/m2) the
value of α is approximately 0.8 to 0.9 and varies somehow
with the stress level.

How to Perform a Creep Test?

To determine creep properties, a material is subjected to
prolonged constant tension or compression loading at
constant elevated temperature. While testing, the material's
deformation is recorded at specific time intervals and overall
data is plotted on a creep vs time diagram. The slope at any
point on this curve is known as the creep rate, in which units
are expressed in terms of in/in/hr or percent(%)
elongation/hr. Maintaining a constant temperature during a
creep test is critical due to the possible thermal expansion or
shrinkage of the material.
Three Stages of Creep Testing
Specimens pass through three different stages during a creep
test. The first stage is primary creep, where the creep rate
begins by rising quickly and then slows down and decreases.
The secondary stage is where the creep rate remains fairly
uniform. During the tertiary stage, when the specimen is
expected to reach its breaking point, the creep rate is much
steeper than it is in the secondary stage, culminating in
specimen failure. If failure occurs, the time for rupture is
recorded. If a specimen does not fracture within the creep
test period, creep recovery may be measured.
Some examples of standards that require creep testing are
ASTM E139, ASTM D2290, ASTM D2291, and ASTM
D2294. For more details on testing procedures, please refer
to these standards.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, we know that the creep test is conducted using a tensile specimen
which a constant stress is applied, often by the simple method of suspending weights
from it. Deformation is recorded at specified time intervals and a creep vs. time
diagram is plotted. Slope of curve at any point is creep rate. If failure occurs, it
terminates test and time for rupture is recorded. If specimen does not fracture within
test period, creep recovery may be measured. Creep is generally divided into three
stages. The primary creep starts at a rapid rate and slows with time. The secondary
creep has a relatively uniform rate and the tertiary creep has an accelerated creep rate
and terminates when the material breaks or ruptures. If creep recovery is measured,
the test will determine the stress-relaxation. The rate of decrease in deformation that
takes place when the load is removed. Creep is also sometimes referred to as Stress-
Relaxation testing.

Reference
 Hashemi, S. Foundations of materials science and engineering, 2006,
4th edition, McGraw Hill, ISBN 007-125690-3
 Dieter, G.E., Mechanical metallurgy, 1988, SI metric edition,
McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07- 100406-8.