CREEP MECHANISM,

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, AND

SELECTION OF MATERIALS

Presentation by
Surendra Kumar Pilar
Reg. No.: 230939002

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CONTENTS
 CREEP MECHANISM INTRODUCTION

 HIGH-TEMPERATURE MATERIALS DEGRADATION

 CORROSION IN CREEP ENVIRONMENTS

 POLYMER DEGRADATION

 NABARRO HERRING CREEP

 COBLE CREEP

 EFFECTS OF CREEP IN METALS

 IMPORTANCE OF CREEP IN SELECTION OF MATERIALS

 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS IN SELECTION OF MATERIALS

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 CREEP MECHANISM INTRODUCTION

 A time-dependent deformation under a specific applied load, permanent

plastic deformation can occur in metals at elevated temperatures and
stresses much less than the high-temperature yield stress.
 It usually happens at high temperature (thermal creep), but it can also
happen at room temperature in some materials (e.g., lead or glass) much
more slowly.
 The material experiences a time-dependent lengthening as a result, which
could be hazardous when in use.

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 HIGH-TEMPERATURE MATERIAL DEGRADATION
 Different materials have different temperature ranges in which creep deformation can
happen. When a material is stretched at a temperature close to its melting point, creep
deformation typically results.
 In materials that are subjected to high temperatures, creep is frequently an issue.
 Other microstructure alterations are brought about by the high temperatures at which creep
happens.
 Microstructure deterioration and creep damage happen at the same time.
 The temperature at which creep begins depends on the alloy composition.

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 CORROSION IN CREEP ENVIRONMENTS
 A type of localized corrosion known as
creep corrosion is most commonly
found in high-humidity locations.

 The materials subjected to temperature,

which rises with time and facilitates the
creation and dispersion of corrosive
chemicals.

 The location of these first voids or holes

varies, often noted at the junction of
three or more grains.

Figure: Failure of a coolant pipe due to creep  These individual voids grow and link to
form cracks several grains long, and
finally, failure occurs. 5
 POLYMER DEGRADATION
 Time-dependent rise in strain is
observed in viscoelastic materials under
step-constant tension.
Figure: Polymer Creep at constant temperature with time
 Polymer creep or viscoelastic creep are
terms used to describe this phenomenon.

 The viscoelastic creep modulus is stress-

independent below its critical stress.

 Increasing molecular weight has the

tendency to strengthen secondary bonds
between polymer chains, strengthening
the polymer's resistance to creep.

Figure: Polymer Creep at low and high temperatures 6

 NABARRO-HERRING (N-H) CREEP

 It is a form of diffusion-controlled creep. When Nabarro-Herring creep occurs, grains

elongate along the stress axis as atoms diffuse through the lattice.
 The creep rate of Nabarro-Herring creep decreases with increasing grain size,
showing a weak dependence on stress and a moderate dependence on grain size.
 It is discovered that Nabarro-Herring creep is highly temperature-dependent.
Adjacent lattice sites or interstitial sites in the crystal structure must be free for
lattice diffusion of atoms to take place in a material.
 To go from its present location to the adjacent empty spot, a particular atom must
also cross the energy barrier.
 At extremely high temperatures in relation to a material's melting point, Nabarro-
Herring creep predominates.

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Figure: Nabarro Herring Creep
 COBLE CREEP
 Another type of diffusion-controlled creep is called coble creep. In Coble
creep, the grains elongate along the stress axis as atoms diffuse along grain
boundaries.
 Coble creep has the same linear dependence on stress as N-H creep and
occurs at lower temperatures. The temperature-dependent grain boundary
diffusion increases with temperature.
 The temperature dependence is not as strong as in Nabarro-Herring creep,
though, because the number of nearest neighbors is effectively limited along
with the grain interface, and thermal generation of vacancies along the
boundaries is less common.

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Figure: Coble Creep
 EFFECTS OF CREEP IN METALS

 Metallic creep is a unique, irreversible type of creep that is exclusively present in

metallic structures at extremely high temperatures. It is not linearly viscoelastic in
nature.
 Creep from higher temperature operations contributed to the World Trade Center's
collapse.
 Creep was blamed for the Big Dig tunnel ceiling collapse in Boston, Massachusetts
that occurred in July 2006.
 The creep rate of hot pressure-loaded components in a nuclear reactor at power can
be a significant design constraint, since the creep rate is enhanced by the flux of
energetic particles. 9
 IMPORTANCE OF CREEP IN SELECTION OF
MATERIALS

 Creep deformation plays a significant role in the design of many common

day-to-day items as well as in systems that must withstand high
temperatures, such as heat exchangers, jet engines, and nuclear power
plants.
 For instance, because plastic creeps at room temperature, metal paper clips
are more durable than plastic ones.
 A common misconception regarding this phenomenon is that it only
happens at temperatures higher than the glass transition temperature, which
is approximately 500°C. This is not the case with aging glass windows.

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 Dynamic recrystallization at high temperatures and relatively high strain rates can cause

materials to deform widely, resulting in localized deformation in a neck.

 Failure eventually happens when the specimen necks until the cross-sectional area is zero,

which is typically referred to as the rupture field.

 Creep voids and cavities are prevented from developing because dynamic recrystallization

makes grain boundaries extremely mobile.

 The three fracture mechanisms in the creep regime - Intergranular creep fracture, Transgranular

creep fracture, and Rupture - are schematically depicted in above Figure.

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Design Considerations to avoid Creep

 Reduce the effect of grain boundaries.

 Use single crystal material with large grains.

 Addition of solid solutions to eliminate vacancies.

 Employ materials of high melting temperatures.

 Consult Creep Test Data during materials Selection.

 Choose for specific type of service application

 Set adequate inspection intervals according to life

expectancy.

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THANK YOU

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