Coupled modeling of steady-state creep rate and creep rupture strength for metals

New methods of coupled mathematical modeling of steady-state creep rate and creep rupture strength of metals in tension have been devised. Two nonlinear fractional power functions with four material constants are used as basic dependences of the steady-state creep and creep rupture life on stress. Computation of the functions is based on optimally solving two nonlinear and inconsistent — in the conventional meaning — equations sets by the method of minimization of quadratic residuals. The authors outline the methods for calculating material constants, which were used to derive analytical expressions that optimally approximate the test results for 10Kh15N27T3MR steel at 600°C under various stresses. A method of piecewise-linear approximation of creep rupture strength test results, which involves the use of a two-segment broken line, is put forward. It implies that the locations of kinks as well as other numerical characteristics of the broken line are determined from the condition of the line’s optimal arrangement relative to the experimental data points. The method takes a more comprehensive account of various damage accumulation mechanisms in steel under various stress levels. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 4, pp. 25–35, July–August, 2008.     

A three dimensional view of high temperature creep damage

Abstract

A three dimensional view of creep voids in a hydrogen reformer tube is presented. By separating and reconstructing various microstructural features present, the proper representation of creep voids in 3D can be fully studied. Useful measurements of parameters such as void volume, void-to-void distance, and grain boundary angles were obtained. The data presented here represent the initial collection of creep void information for use in various creep void nucleation and growth models. Additional data are currently being collected for material subjected to different service conditions.     

Creep behaviour of AISI 316H stainless steel under stress-varying creep loading conditions: primary creep regeneration

Primary creep regeneration (PCR) is an important reported observation from creep under stress-varying conditions for several alloys. For a specimen deforming in the secondary creep regime, a stress reversal leads to an enhanced creep rate upon reloading due to reactivation of the primary creep regime (i.e. PCR). This paper focuses on an investigation of the PCR phenomenon during stress-varying creep loading for AISI 316H stainless steel at 650°C. The experimental observations clarify the influence of different parameters (e.g. forward creep stress level, reverse stress magnitude and forward and reverse accumulated inelastic strain) on the extent of PCR activation. In addition, a correlation between the extent of PCR activation and inelastic strain accumulation during the reverse loading period was found, which was employed to develop an empirical–phenomenological model for prediction of the creep behaviour of the alloy after stress transients (e.g. stress reversals).     

Constitutive description of creep behavior of M-4Al-1Ca alloy

Creep behavior of an advanced magnesium alloy AX41 (4 wt.% Al, 1 wt.% Ca, Mg balanced) was investigated in temperature interval from 343 to 673 K and stresses from 2 to 200 MPa. Compressive creep experiments with stepwise loading were used in order to obtain stress dependence of the creep rate in interval from 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻³ s⁻¹ for a given temperature. All stress dependences can be well described by the Garofalo sinh relationship with natural exponent n = 5. An analysis of the parameters of this relationship has shown that lattice diffusion controls creep at all experimental conditions. While climb-controlled creep mechanism is decisive at lower stresses and higher temperatures, glide-controlled mechanisms act at higher stresses and lower temperatures. A typical power-law breakdown is observed at intermediate stresses and temperatures. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 1, pp. 36–39, January–February, 2008.     

Mathematical description of the mechanical behaviour of metallic materials under creep conditions

The metallic materials creep behaviour has been described and a complete model is presented. The basic constitutive equation, as well as the structure parameters, have been derived from a mathematical analysis that represents the dominant physical procedures and mechanisms. The model is very general because it is referred to all stages of creep and describes the creep behaviour of all metallic materials, including those strengthened by a dispersion of second-phase particles. A creep function has been derived from the constitutive equation describing all three stages of creep under constant loading. The function has the minimum possible number of fitting, parameters. The dependence of the fitting parameters on the loading conditions has been described using very simple mathematical relations. Applications and predictions have been carried out in a wide range of metallic materials. Good agreement has been shown by a comparison made also between the creep curves determined experimentally, and those obtained from creep function and determined fitting parameters.     

A new creep damage assessment method for metallic material under variable load conditions at elevated temperature

It is significant for structural design and maintenance to assess behaviour and life under varying load conditions. For structures operating in high‐temperature environments, creep is one mechanism responsible for material failures. In this paper, different damage accumulation rules were reviewed, and a new creep damage assessment method was proposed based on the creep damage tolerance parameter λ and load factor Φ. By introducing the creep damage tolerance parameter λ and the minimum creep rate, the loading process and creep behaviour of the material are taken into account in a damage assessment. The parameters in the model can be obtained by the simple variable load creep test, and the remaining life and strain can be predicted using uniaxial creep test data. To analyse the applicability and accuracy of this new model, the strain histories, the life of step load, and the constant load creep from experiments on a titanium alloy at 500°C were obtained, and the prediction results of the novel and previous methods were carefully investigated.     

Relationship between plastic strains and microstructural parameters of AMg6 alloy under conditions of active tension and creep

We study the relationship between plastic strains and the density of dislocations in AMg6 alloy under conditions of quasistatic and combined tension, creep, and dynamic creep. It is shown that, in the presence of a cyclic component of loading, an increase in the level of plastic strains is well correlated with the increase in the density of dislocations in the material. The dependences aimed at the evaluation of the density of dislocations (plastic strains) in the material in the presence of the cyclic component of loading are proposed.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 6, pp. 48–58, November–December, 2004     

Predicting the tensile creep of concrete

Over a four year period, six phases of testing were performed to observe the influence of age at loading, applied stress level, mix composition and relative humidity on the tensile creep of concrete. From these investigations it was possible to develop a model which allowed the prediction of tensile creep based on a knowledge of the compressive strength of the concrete (determined at the age of loading), the applied stress level and the relative humidity. Subsequently, this model was validated using the results from three independent investigations. Compressive creep as well as tensile creep was also obtained. This allowed a comparison of compressive creep with tensile creep and illustrated that on the basis of equal stresses, tensile creep is on average between 2 and 3 times greater than compressive creep (the maximum ratio is in excess of 8). For this investigation, however, on the basis of stress/strength ratio the difference between tensile and compressive creep is less significant. Considering a simply supported flexural reinforced concrete element, the investigation suggests that it is unwise to consider actual compressive creep equal to actual tensile creep as is often the case in design practice.     

Influence of preliminary mechanical and thermal treatment on the steady-state creep of metals

The dependences of the rate of steady-state creep for metals with different stacking-fault energies on the level of plastic prestraining in the course of preliminary mechanical and thermal treatment are described analytically. The results are obtained within the framework of the generalized integrated theory of plasticity and creep. The analytic results are in good agreement with the experimental data, which enables one to predict the heat resistance of materials as a function of the level of plastic prestraining.Translated from Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 59–66, March–April, 2004.     

Size dependency of self-diffusion and creep behavior of nanostructured metals

Grain boundary and bulk diffusion are two main governing processes of creep deformation in materials. Since the diffusion activation energy for nanostructured materials is lower than that for bulk, the diffusion is enhanced at the nano-scale, and nanosructured materials are expected to creep at lower temperatures and stresses. In this paper, a model has been developed to explain the effect of grain size on diffusion and creep behavior of nanostructures. Diffusion and creep phenomena have been shown to depend significantly upon size. Comparisons have been made with reported experimental results and related theoretical studies.     

Dehydration creep of concrete at high temperatures

In this paper, a new approach for modeling the transient component of the load induced thermal deformation is proposed in order to predict the concrete behavior when subjected to high temperatures with a concomitant applied load. This component is conventionally referred to as transient creep strain. In this approach, the transient creep strain is split into a drying creep component and a newly introduced dehydration creep strain. The former is related to the evolution of the hygrometric state of the material, while the latter is related to the material dehydration which results from the heating induced chemical transformations. Therefore, a dehydration variable is defined and then introduced as a driving variable of the transient creep for temperatures exceeding 105°C. This thermo-hydro-damage model is implemented using a finite element code and␣numerical simulations are performed and compared to experimental findings in order to assess the predictive character of the proposed model.

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Résumé Dans cet article, une nouvelle approche pour la modélisation de la composante transitoire de la déformation thermique induite sous charge est proposée afin de prédire le comportement du béton à hautes températures. Cette composante est conventionnellement connue sous le nom du fluage thermique transitoire. Dans cette approche, le fluage thermique transitoire est décomposé en fluage de dessiccation et en une composante, nouvellement introduite, de fluage de déshydratation. La première composante est due à l’évolution hygrométrique du matériau tandis que la deuxième est due à la déshydratation du matériau qui résulte des transformations chimiques induites par l’augmentation de la température. Par conséquent, une variable de déshydratation est définie et est introduite comme une variable régissant le fluage thermique transitoire lorsque la température dépasse 105°C. Ce modèle thermo-hydro-endommageable est implémenté dans un code aux éléments finis. Des simulations numériques sont effectuées et comparées à des résultats expérimentaux pour analyser les capacités prédictives du modèle proposé.

     

An analytic description of the creep deformation of metals in the ultrasonic field

The effect of superimposed ultrasonic vibration on the primary creep of metals is modeled in terms of the synthetic theory of irrecoverable deformation. We consider two sonication modes: (i) the ultrasound acts continuously during the deformation, and (ii) the ultrasound is periodically on and off. Whereas both cases show a significant increase in primary creep, the periodical sonication leads to higher deformation values. To catch the phenomenon of ultrasound-assisted creep, we extend the flow rule equation by a term that accounts for the process occurring on the microlevel of material induced by ultrasound.

     

Structure formation mechanisms of low-dimensional porous titanium systems condensed under quasi-equilibrium steady-state conditions

In the present study porous titanium condensates have been deposited by means of ion-plasma sputtering under the quasi-equilibrium conditions and their structure formation mechanisms have been investigated. At the beginning, we introduce to the low-dimensional porous system formation mechanisms, which are based on both the different rate growth of condensate surface local parts and partial coalescence of structural elements. Then we consider the quasi-equilibrium steady-state condensation peculiarities within the accumulative plasma-condensate system and discuss the formation mechanisms of titanium condensates produced on glass and cleaved KCl substrates. The condensate structure has been investigated by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It has been shown that the self-assembly of the porous Ti layers is due to the following key processes: the self-organization of time-constant extremely low supersaturation and the continuous structural and morphological transformation of the growth surface as well.     

The nature of room temperature creep

This note is aimed at highlighting hat may be inaccurate thinking of the nature of cold (logarithmic) creep - i.e. creep hich may be observed in most steels at room temperature (20C). There is a dearth of information on this topic although engineers have come to regard cold creep as a 'time dependent plastic' deformation. As such it is assumed that the assumptions of plasticity are obeyed during the creep process.     

Structure formation mechanisms of low-dimensional porous titanium systems condensed under quasi-equilibrium steady-state conditions

In the present study porous titanium condensates have been deposited by means of ion-plasma sputtering under the quasi-equilibrium conditions and their structure formation mechanisms have been investigated. At the beginning, we introduce to the low-dimensional porous system formation mechanisms, which are based on both the different rate growth of condensate surface local parts and partial coalescence of structural elements. Then we consider the quasi-equilibrium steady-state condensation peculiarities within the accumulative plasma-condensate system and discuss the formation mechanisms of titanium condensates produced on glass and cleaved KCl substrates. The condensate structure has been investigated by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It has been shown that the self-assembly of the porous Ti layers is due to the following key processes: the self-organization of time-constant extremely low supersaturation and the continuous structural and morphological transformation of the growth surface as well.     

Comprehensive study of concrete creep,shrinkage, and water content evolution under sealed and drying conditions

A comprehensive study of the time‐dependent behaviour of concrete, enhanced by measuring the evolution of the respective mass water content, is presented. Compressive creep as well as shrinkage are investigated on sealed and unsealed specimens in terms of the concrete age at loading of 2, 7, and 28 days, respectively, at a loading level of 30% of the compressive strength at loading. In addition, on the basis of the collected measurement data, the impact of load application on the moisture content is studied and the Pickett effect is re‐examined. The obtained set of material data consists of basic and drying creep strains for different concrete ages at loading, autogenous shrinkage strains as well as combined autogenous and drying shrinkage strains, the evolution of the mass water content, the water desorption isotherm, and the time‐dependent evolution of Young's modulus and the compressive strength. It provides a consistent set of material data for a particular concrete grade and will be available for calibrating and validating concrete models.