Modelling tail effects in creep-crack initiation and growth for 316L stainless steel

For complex loading history (creep and fatigue) applied to engineering components, assessment procedures generally estimate the crack initiation and growth by using the summation of continuous fatigue and pure creep crack growth rates. This text deals with the pure creep correlation established in laboratory tests and applied to components subjected to creep-fatigue loading. The trend of the creep opening displacement history superimposed onto the crack progress is sufficient to predict what kind of tail effect will occur when plotting ? vs. C*. The exponent of this correlation is demonstrated to be very close to unity, whatever creep stage is concerned. The contribution of either the material behaviour or the crack extension to the ? -C* correlation is discussed.