Prediction of creep failure in aeroengine materials under multi-axial stress states

Abstract

The creep and creep rupture behaviour of two, significantly different, aeroengine materials, namely a nickel-base superalloy at 700°C and a high temperature titanium alloy at 650°C, were studied. Experimental creep tests were conducted on uniaxial specimens and axisymmetric notched bars under constant tensile loads conditions. From the uniaxial creep test results, a creep continuum damage model was established for each of the materials. The skeletal point stress approach was used to obtain the approximate creep rupture stress criterion in the multi-axial generalization of the creep continuum damage models. This approximation was cross-checked using axisymmetric Finite Element (FE) analyses in a trial and error procedure. Multi-axial creep continuum damage models were then used in further FE creep analyses to predict the creep rupture times in specimens subjected to different tensile loads. The FE predictions of the rupture times in these notched specimens were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results for the nickel-base superalloy (Waspaloy) at 700°C and the titanium alloy (IMI834) at 650°C.