Department of Engineering Science, Faculty of Engineering and

Science, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB

MECH-1069: MATERIALS

TITLE: CREEP TEST REPORT

ZAIN HUMAYOUN [001031353]

BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Supervisor: Dr Mark Bingley

Word Count: 1565 words

 Abstract
The aim and objective of the lab were to illustrate the principles of creep testing and one
method of plotting results. To calculate the power-law creep exponent n for lead and
activation energy Q for the lead. To examine the effects of stress on creep-rate and of
temperature on creep-rate and on creep ductility.
The experiment was performed using lead because it has a good creep rate in room
temperature. The two-specimen width and thickness were measured, and the room
temperature was measured the specimen was placed inside the test machine and an
appropriate load was used and the creep test is then started with the timer until the specimen
gets broken.
The specimen 2 broke quickly as compared with specimen 1 due to being in hot temperature
which made the process quicker.
Results & Results analysis
The table below shows both the specimen dimensions which was used during the lab.

Specimen Width (mm) Specimen Thickness (mm)

Specimen 1 4.77 1.83
Specimen 2 4.79 1.81
Average Measurement 4.78 1.82

A. Room Temperature Creep Test

Temperature (C) T1 (K) Initial Gauge Length at Failure Creep Strain at

Length (mm) (mm) Failure
17.6 290.6 19.40 26.50 0.36

Recorded Results
The table below shows the calculated values of the specimen in a room temperature such as
stress, extension rate of the graph and creep strain rate while the load was increasing.

Load (Kg) Stress Extension Rate from Graph (mm/min) Creep Strain
(MN/m2) Rate (min-1)
0.8 7.22 0.023 1.18x10-3
0.9 8.12 0.03 1.54x10-3
1 9.02 0.05 2.57x10-3
 B. Elevated Temperature Creep Test Data

Temperature (C) T2 (K) Initial Gauge Length at Failure Creep Strain at

Length (mm) (mm) Failure
39 312.15 19.02 26.19 0.38

Recorded Results
The table below shows the values for specimen 2. The temperature was increased to 39 oC.

Load (Kg) Stress (MN/m2) Extension Rate from Graph Creep Strain Rate
(mm/min) (min-1)

0.8 7.22 0.043 2.25*10-3

0.9 8.12 0.12 6.13x10-3

Figure 1. Creep Strain VS Time

Blue Line – Room Temperature (Specimen 1)
Red Line – Elevated Temperature (Specimen 2)
As the comparison can be seen in the graph shown in Figure 1. The specimen 2 broke quickly
during elevated temperature due to being hot which speeds up the process. The specimen 1
took time and elongation was more as compared with specimen 2.

Creep Exponent (n) Activation Energy (Q) Creep constant (A)

3.49 22587.14 13.67*10-3

The table above shows the calculated value for creep exponent, activation energy and creep
constant.
Discussion / Supplementary questions
1. Diffusion Creep creep refers to the deformation of crystalline solids by
the diffusion of vacancies through their crystal lattice (Anon., n.d.). Diffusion creep
results in plastic deformation rather than a brittle failure of the material. Diffusion
creep is more sensitive to temperature than other deformation mechanisms. It
usually takes place at high homologous temperatures.
Dislocation Creep is a deformation mechanism in crystalline materials. Dislocation
creep involves the movement of dislocations through the crystal lattice of the
material, in contrast to diffusion creep, in which diffusion (of vacancies) is the
dominant creep mechanism. It causes plastic deformation of the individual crystals,
and thus the material itself (Anon., 2019).

The value of creep exponent (n) is in dislocation period. It is also known as power
law creep Because it’s under room temperature conditions and it takes place in high
stress and it is dislocation because the value is between 3 and 8.

2. What is creep Activation Energy and what is its significance in creep?

Does your calculated value of activation energy correspond to Data Book values?

• The activation energy for a creep at low stresses and elevated temperatures is associated
with lattice diffusion, where the rate-controlling mechanism for deformation is
dislocation climb (Freed, et al., 1992). Creep activation energy is the material
characteristics and it’s the quantity of energy that is required for the occurrence of the
creep to be in a material.
• Creep is important when a material is needed to be selected for design. It notifies the
engineer that what stress the material undergoes.
• Yes the value does correspond

3. How does failure occur under creep conditions? (i.e what is the mechanism of
creep?). how can strain to failure be improved for a given material?

• Creep failure can happen attributable to what might be viewed as unnecessary

disfigurement when this influences the activity of the component. This may
restrict the service life of the component and under such conditions, the speed of
creep (creep strain-rate) needs to be known so that the component may be
removed from service before it is no longer fit for purpose.
Under specific conditions creep crack including the total disappointment of a
component may happen.
• Some mechanism of creep is (1) Dislocation Climb (2) Vacancy Diffusion (3) Grain
Boundary Sliding there are the few mechanisms that play an energetic part
throughout the creep process.
 • Failure can be improved by alloying the material to improve its physical properties
such as strengthening it. And to limit the given material of being used as more the
material is used the more chances are there for failure.

4. Is there any benefit other than convenience, in adding loads during the test rather
than performing two separate tests on different specimens?
Adding loads give higher stress that increases the speed of creep and helps to provide a clear
explanation of the graph as the specimen can be observed how it reacts at various loads at
different temperature.
5. How can alloying element additions improve the creep resistance of pure lead?
Alloying element additions improve the physical properties and to produce special properties
such as resistance to corrosion or heat. Alloying elements to lead means having a high melting
temperature so it can work in very high-temperature places and It also strengthens the
material thus improving the creep resistance of pure lead.

6. What are deformation Mechanism Maps? What is shown on them? What use are
they to engineers working with equipment operating at high temperatures?

• Deformation mechanism maps is an ideal representation or diagrams of the material’s

constitutive behaviour (Anon., 2013). on a specimen.
• It usually shows stress plotted with temperature Within stress-temperature space, it
shows the zone where one of the stream mechanisms is predominant.
• It is helpful to engineers as they may use it to predict either one of the stress, temperature
and creep strain rate and they may have a better understanding of how materials behave
at high temperatures.

Q7) The Deformation Mechanism Map (Figure 2) plots Normalised Shear Stress (σs / μ)
versus. Homologous Temperature (T / Tm) for Pure Lead (1 mm grain size). Contours on the
map show strain-rates (s-1).
Assume that Applied Shear Stress (σs) = ½ x Applied Tensile Stress
μ = Shear Modulus for Lead (you will need to look this up)
Tm = Melting Point of Lead in Kelvin (you will need to look this up)
Calculate using your experimental test conditions paired values of (σs / μ) and (T / Tm).
Reproduce Figure 2 in your report and plot your experimental conditions on the map.
What according to the deformation map is the creep mechanism that is operating at your
experimental conditions?
Do your experimentally calculated strain-rates match those indicated on the Deformation
Map? Comment on this match.
ANS 7) μ = Shear modulus for lead and Tm = Melting point of lead in kelvin
μ = 4.90 GPa
Tm = 600.6 K
𝟏
σs = 𝟐 x (7.22) = 3.61 MN

𝛔𝒔 3.61∗106
= 4.90∗109 = 7.37x10-4
𝝁

𝐓𝟏 290.6 𝐓𝟐 312.15
𝐓𝐦
= 600.6 = 0.484 𝐓𝐦
= 600.6
= 0.52

Figure 1. Deformation Mechanism Map for Lead

No, the calculated strain does not match the deformation map. The reason may be that the
temperature was not controlled and there was some heat loss during experiment, and it could
be due to human error.
Q8) Figure 3 shows a Deformation Mechanism Map for MAR M200 (grain size 100 µm) a
nickel base superalloy used for turbine blades. It plots Normalised Shear Stress (σs / μ)
versus Homologous temperature (T/Tm). Contours on the map show strain-rates (s-1)
Assume that Applied Shear Stress (σs) = ½ x Applied Tensile Stress
Assume that Shear Modulus μ is 60 GPa
Assume that melting point is 1350 oC
Consider creep under the following conditions:
(a) 1000 oC and 10 MPa tensile stress
(b) 1000 oC and 800 MPa tensile stress
Reproduce Figure 3 in your report and plot the points corresponding to conditions (a) and
(b) on the map.
Use the map to determine the time required to obtain 2% creep strain.
(c) At which one of the two conditions ((a) or (b)) would an increase in grain size be
more effective in order to reduce creep strain-rate? Explain.

Figure 2: Deformation Mechanism Map for MAR M200

 1
a) 𝛔𝒔 = 2 x (10) = 5x106
μ = 6x1010
𝑻𝒎 = 1623 K, T = 1273K
𝛔𝒔 5∗106
= 6∗1010 = 8.3x10-5
𝝁
𝑻 1273
= 1623 = 0.784
𝐓𝒎

1
b) 𝛔𝒔 = 2 x (800) = 400x106
μ = 6x1010
𝑻𝒎 = 1623K, T = 1273K
𝛔𝒔 400∗106
= = 6.67x10-3
𝝁 6∗1010
𝑻 1273
= 1623 = 0.784
𝐓𝒎

c) In (a) expanding the material grain size would be progressively compelling to lessen
creep strain-rate. Since, the repeated chart shows that point (a) has a long good way
from the Perfect strength. Then again, the (b) isn't. Along these lines, expanding the
grain size of material that is under the condition (a) would be more effective.

References
Anon., 2013. Mechanism Map. [Online]
Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/mechanism-map
[Accessed 4 December 2019].

Anon., 2019. Dislocation Creep. [Online]

Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dislocation_creep
[Accessed 4 December 2019].

Anon., n.d. Diffusion Creep. [Online]

Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_creep
[Accessed 4 December 2019].

Freed, A., Raj, S. & Walker, K., 1992. Creep Activation Energy. [Online]
Available at: https://www.science.gov/topicpages/c/creep+activation+energy.html
[Accessed 4 December 2019].
 Appendix

Calculations
Calculation of Creep Exponent (n)
Calculation of Activation Energy (Q) & Calculation of Creep Constant (A)
Questions