Increase In Creep Rate Research Articles

Biomechanical changes of tree shrew posterior sclera during experimental myopia, after retrobulbar vehicle injections, and crosslinking using genipin

Myopia is a common ocular condition characterized by biomechanical weakening revealed by increasing creep rate, cyclic softening scleral thinning, change of collagen fibril crimping, and excessive elongation of the posterior sclera resulting in blurred vision. Animal studies support scleral crosslinking as a potential treatment for myopia control by strengthening the weakened sclera and slowing scleral expansion. While multiple studies investigated aspects of the biomechanical weakening and strengthening effects in myopia and after scleral crosslinking, a comprehensive analysis of the underlying mechanical changes including the effect of vehicle injections is still missing. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of biomechanical changes by scleral inflation testing in experimental myopia, after retrobulbar vehicle injections and scleral crosslinking using genipin in tree shrews. Our results suggest that biomechanical weakening in myopia involves an increased creep rate and higher strain levels at which collagen fibers uncrimp. Both weakening effects were reduced after scleral crosslinking using genipin at doses that were effective in slowing myopia progression. Vehicle injections increased mechanical hysteresis and had a small but significant effect on slowing myopia progression. Also, our results support scleral crosslinking as a potential treatment modality that can prevent or counteract scleral weakening effects in myopia. Furthermore, vehicle solutions may cause independent biomechanical effects, which should be considered when developing and evaluating scleral crosslinking procedures.

A Fractional-Order Creep-Damage Model for Carbonaceous Shale Describing Coupled Damage Caused by Rainfall and Blasting

In order to better understand the shear creep behavior of weak interlayers (carbonaceous shale) under the coupling effect of the rainfall dry–wet cycle and blasting vibration, as well as quantitatively characterize the coupled damage of the rainfall dry–wet cycle and blasting vibration, a series of shear creep tests were carried out. The results show that the combined damage of the rainfall dry–wet cycle and blasting vibration greatly intensifies the creep effect of carbonaceous shale, leading to an increase in deceleration creep time, an increase in steady-state creep rate, and a decrease in long-term strength. The coupling damage of the rainfall dry–wet cycle and blasting vibration in carbonaceous shale was quantitatively characterized. Based on the fractional-order theory, a fractional-order creep-damage constitutive model (DNFVP) was established by introducing the Abel dashpot to describe the coupled damage of the rainfall wet–dry cycle and blasting vibration and the nonlinear creep acceleration characteristics. The three-dimensional creep equation of the model was derived. The effectiveness of the DNFVP model was verified through the inversion of model parameters and fitting of experimental data, providing a basis for in-depth research on the long-term stability of high slopes in mines with weak interlayers.

Unusual indentation depth dependent hardness and creep behaviors in NbMoTaW films at the nanoscale

Herein, nanocrystalline NbMoTaW and (NbMoTaW)N thin films were prepared via magnetron sputtering and investigated using nanoindentation creep tests at various indentation loads (P). The hardness (H) of films increases with P, exhibiting an abnormal indentation size effect (ISE). At the same time, with decreasing indentation depth (h), the creep rate and the creep rate sensitivity (m) both increase. Under a critical h (hc) for each film, m sharply increases. The diffusion between the indenter/film interface dominates the creep mechanism at h lower than hc, whereas the dislocation–grain boundary interaction dominates the creep deformation at h higher than hc. The coble creep and lattice diffusion were both excluded as the main deformation mechanism. The escape of screw dislocations to the surface leads to the softening of the film, whereas the pile-up of screw dislocations leads to hardening, explaining the abnormal ISE on H. The effect of residual stress, grain boundary structures, substrate, and impurities are also discussed.

Improved Tensile Strength and SCC Resistance via Nonisothermal Creep Aging under a High Stress Level

Compared with conventional isothermal creep aging (ICA), non‐ICA (NICA) does not involve a prolonged holding stage, but only has heating and cooling stages. During the NICA process, the precipitates nucleate and grow up in the early part of heating stage, resulting in fluctuations in creep rate and an increase in strength. The coarsening of precipitates in the later part of the heating stage can lead to significant increase of creep rate. Upon approaching the peak temperature, the dissolution of the precipitates occurs in conjunction with a partial coarsening of the remaining precipitates, causing a reduction in strength. However, the secondary precipitation during the cooling stage facilitates a significant strength enhancement in a relatively shorter period. In contrast to the ICA, the targeted NICA treatment gives an increase in ultimate strength while improves the stress corrosion cracking resistance. Moreover, the time required for NICA to obtain ultimate strength is only 13.9% of that of the ICA treatment. A large amount of creep strain can be generated during the NICA process, which is equivalent to 630% of that of creep age forming treatment.

Anisotropy and viscoelasticity of different corneal regions in rabbit corneal ectasia model

The mechanical properties of the cornea in corneal ectasia disease undergo a significant reduction, yet the alterations in mechanical properties within distinct corneal regions remain unclear. In this study, we established a rabbit corneal ectasia model by employing collagenase II to degrade the corneal matrix within a central diameter of 6 mm. Optical coherence tomography was employed for the in vivo assessment of corneal morphology (corneal thickness and corneal curvature) one month after operation. Anisotropy and viscoelastic characteristics of corneal tissue were evaluated through biaxial and uniaxial testing, respectively. The results demonstrated a marked decrease in central corneal thickness, with no significant changes observed in corneal curvature. Under different strains, the elastic modulus of the cornea exhibited no significant differences in the up-down and naso-temporal directions between the control and model groups. However, the cornea in the model group displayed a significantly lower elastic modulus compared to the control group. Specifically, the elastic modulus of the central region cornea in the model group was significantly lower than that of the entire cornea within the same group. Moreover, in comparison to the control group, the cornea in the model group exhibited a significant increase in both creep rate and overall deformation rate. The instantaneous modulus and equilibrium modulus were significantly reduced in the model cornea. No significant differences were observed between the entire cornea and the central cornea concerning these parameters. The results indicate that corneal anisotropy remains unchanged in collagenase-induced ectatic cornea. However, a significant reduction in viscoelastic properties is noticed. This study provides valuable insights for investigating changes in corneal mechanical properties within different regions of ectatic corneal disease.

CREEP OF VT1-0 TITANIUM ALLOY IN DIFFERENT STRUCTURE STATES AFTER IRRADIATION WITH HELIUM IONS

The effect of irradiation with helium ions at T = 350°C with an energy of 20 keV and a dose of 1.5·1018 Не/cm2 on the structure and properties of VT1-0 titanium alloy in the initial and nanostructural states was studied. It has been shown that irradiation of VT1-0 samples in the initial state leads to a decrease in mechanical properties when tested under creep conditions at T = 350 °C, which may be due to dynamic recovery. A material in a nanostructured state is characterized by an increase in strength and creep rate at a test temperature of T = 350°C, while maintaining a plasticity reserve. The effect is associated with the structure rearrangement, grain growth and the development of strain hardening processes as the effective stress increases.

Compressive creep behavior of selective electron beam melted high Nb containing TiAl alloy

In this study, the compressive creep behavior of Ti–45Al–8Nb alloy fabricated by selective electron beam melting technology at 800 °C and 850 °C was investigated. This alloy is mainly composed of equiaxed γ grains, and minor α2 and B2 grains. Creep results show that compressive creep behavior of this alloy is dependent on temperature, which is manifested in the significant increase of creep strain and creep rate with the increase of temperature. Through a multi-step creep test, the stress exponent n (2.65 at 800 °C and 3.65 at 850 °C) and activation volume V* (36.49 b3 at 800 °C and 53.51 b3 at 850 °C) were measured. Combined with kinetic analysis based on n and V* and TEM observation, compressive creep deformation of this alloy at 800 °C and 850 °C is dominated by dislocation motion, including dislocation slip and climb. Additionally, mechanical twinning also plays an important role in creep deformation. Driven by dislocation pile-ups or mechanical twins, discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) occurs during creep. The degree of DDRX at 850 °C is greater. Sufficient DDRX greatly softens the alloy and accelerates creep rate, resulting in no steady-state creep stage at 850 °C.

Rheological Properties of Desulfurized Crumb Rubber Modified Warm Mix Asphalt

In order to study the rheological properties of warm mix asphalt modified by desulfurized rubber powder with different meshes, the desulfurized rubber powder was mixed with matrix asphalt at the best content. Dynamic shear rheological test (DSR) was used to study the high temperature rheological properties of asphalt modified by waste rubber powder. Multi-stress creep test (MSCR) was used to study the high temperature deformation resistance of asphalt modified with waste rubber powder. The low temperature rheological properties of Sasobit and crumb rubber modified asphalt with different mesh numbers were evaluated by bending beam rheological test (BBR). The test results show that compared with the base asphalt, the complex modulus and rutting factor of CRMA 60 are significantly improved, and the effect is more obvious than that of CRMA 40 and CRMA 80. With the addition of Sasobit, the high temperature performance of WCRMA first increased and then decreased. With the addition of Sasobit, the creep stiffness modulus of WCRMA decreases, the creep rate increases, and the low-temperature properties first increase and then decrease. From the atomic force microscope (AFM), it can be seen that Sasobit promotes the compatibility between rubber powder and asphalt, and the performance of asphalt modified by 60 mesh rubber powder is best. When the mass fraction of Sasobit is 2.5%, WCRMA has the best comprehensive performance.

Creep of normal and high-strength A615 carbon-steel reinforcing bars at elevated temperature

When conventionally reinforced concrete elements are subjected to fire, their carbon-steel reinforcing bars can experience a relatively long duration of modest temperature increase (up to 600 °C) due to the insulation provided by the concrete cover before the element fails or the fire decays. Tensile tests under constant applied stress were performed on 25 M (#8 US) reinforcing bars that conform to ASTM A615 Grades 420, 520, and 690 to measure time-dependent creep at constant temperatures from 400 to 600 °C (i.e., up to the critical temperature per ASTM E119). Creep rates at 400 °C were small for all grades regardless of the applied stress level. Specimens across all grades showed an increase in secondary creep rate when applied stress and/or temperature also increased. Tertiary creep was only observed once the temperature was increased to 600 °C with a higher level of applied stress (∼40% of ambient yield). The experimental data is used to develop predictive expressions based on both the Dorn-Harmathy model and a combined time-hardening model. Both can be used as input for numerical analysis of heated reinforced concrete structures. The models are applied in two simple examples to predict cumulative creep strains when the bars are under constant stress and transiently heated from 400 to 600 °C.

Laboratory study and constitutive modeling of time-dependent properties of a naturally filled discontinuity

Time-dependent properties of naturally filled discontinuities play a critical role in ensuring the long-term stability of tunnels. This study developed a novel sampling method to prepare samples of naturally filled discontinuities, which were then subjected to shear creep tests under varying normal stresses. The time-dependent properties, including creep deformation, instantaneous deformation, steady-state creep rate, and long-term strength, were carefully analyzed. The results showed an exponential increase in cumulative creep deformation and steady-state creep rate with the augmentation of shear stress. Notably, under lower normal stress (0.2 MPa), the local compaction and rotation of stone particles within the fillers of the discontinuity samples lead to a reduction in creep deformation. Drawing on the experimental results, a new rheological element based on the Kachanov–Rabotnov creep damage theory was proposed. By incorporating this nonlinear element in series with the classical Burgers model, a constitutive creep model was established to describe the three creep stages of naturally filled discontinuities. The presented experimental data, and the developed creep model, can serve as valuable references for ensuring the long-term stability and safety of tunnels traversing through discontinuities.

Experiment and Modelling of the Pre-Strain Effect on the Creep Behaviour of P/M Ni-Based Superalloy FGH96.

FGH96 is a powder metallurgy Ni-based superalloy used for turbine disks of aero-engines. In the present study, room-temperature pre-tension experiments with various plastic strain were conducted for the P/M FGH96 alloy, and subsequent creep tests were conducted under the test conditions of 700 °C and 690 MPa. The microstructures of the pre-strained specimens after room-temperature pre-strain and after 70 h creep were investigated. A steady-state creep rate model was proposed, considering the micro-twinning mechanism and pre-strain effects. Progressive increases in steady-state creep rate and creep stain within 70 h were found with increasing amounts of pre-strain. Room-temperature pre-tension within 6.04% plastic strain had no obvious influence on the morphology and distribution of γ' precipitates, although the dislocation density continuously increased with the increase in pre-strains. The increase in the density of mobile dislocations introduced by pre-strain was the main reason for the increase in creep rate. The predicted steady-state creep rates showed good agreement with the experiment data; the creep model proposed in this study could capture the pre-strain effect.

Thermal stability of dislocation structure and its effect on creep property in austenitic 316L stainless steel manufactured by directed energy deposition

The objective of this study is to investigate the thermal stability of dislocation structure and its effect on the creep behaviour of laser-directed energy deposited 316L stainless steel (L-DED-316L SS). Post-processing heat treatments at temperatures ranging from 300 to 1200 °C were performed on the as-deposited DED samples. The microstructural changes induced by the heat treatment were correlated to the corresponding variations of the room temperature tensile properties and creep behaviour at 650 °C/225 MPa. Results show that dislocations produced during DED process tend to distribute uniformly, with only a few localized fine dislocation cells (average cell size of ∼0.4 μm) being detected. At 600 °C, the remaining dislocations rearrange and organize into a coarse dislocation cell structure with an average cell size of ∼1.6 μm, leading to a slight decrease in yield strength, while the creep performance is not obviously affected. At 800 °C, the annihilation of dislocations and destruction of dislocation cell structure, as well as elemental diffusion contribute to a significant drop in yield strength and creep rupture time with a noticeable increase in steady creep rate. Further increasing heat treatment temperature above 1000 °C removes the dislocation cell structure and elemental segregation on cell walls, which results in a continuous increase in steady creep rate. The present work demonstrates that the presence of chemical micro-segregation is crucial for the stabilization of dislocation cells structure and the resulted creep performance of the heat-treated L-DED samples.

An investigation on creep deformation and mechanical properties of a polycrystalline Fe-based alloy: a molecular dynamics study

In this work, Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was carried out to uncover the mechanism of creep deformation in FeCrAl alloys. The MD results indicated that the rise in the amount of Cr and Al leads to the increase of creep rate in the samples. Moreover, under a constant temperature (1000 K) and alloying composition (FeCr15Al4), the increase of applied stress altered the creep mechanism from Coble mode to grain boundary sliding, followed by dislocation creep, which was accompanied with the appearance of tertiary creep stage in the strain-time curves. Considering the stress exponent values, it was found that the applied stress of 1-1.5 GPa is a transition value from Coble creep to dislocation creep. It was also unveiled that the atomic coordination number in the grain boundaries was averagely lower than the grain interiors, indicating that the boundaries were potential sites for the atomic motion and the defect nucleation. Finally, in comparison with the applied stress and temperature, the creep deformation is less sensitive to the alloying composition and grain size.

Creep Effect on Chemo-Mechanical Coupling Oxidation of Thermal Barrier Coatings

In this paper, a chemo-mechanical coupling model considering the creep effect during high-temperature oxidation is developed based on the diffusion-reaction equation. A sinusoidal curve model is developed by the finite element method to simulate the thickness and stress distribution of thermally grown oxide (TGO). The thickness and stress distribution of the TGO in the thermal barrier coating was investigated by changing the coupling effect and creep effect conditions of the model. The results show that with the increase of the coupling coefficient, the thickness of TGO gradually becomes smaller. In the late stage of oxidation, this effect diminishes, and the compressive stress located in the BC/TGO layer groove keeps decreasing, while the tensile stress located in the TC layer groove is the opposite. As the creep rate increases, the maximum tensile/compressive stress in the Y-direction within the thermal insulation coating slowly decreases, and the oxidation rate of the oxide layer moderately decreases. This study is important to find the corresponding solutions and preventive measures for the failure of the thermal barrier coating.

Stress state mechanism of thickness debit effect in creep performances of a Ni-based single crystal superalloy

Weight reduction and advanced cooling schemes to improve aircraft engine efficiency drive the design of turbine blades toward thin-walled structures. The decrease of wall thickness leads to a decrease of creep rupture life and/or the increase of creep rate, which is termed as the thickness debit effect. To capture the nature of this effect and improve the reliability of turbine blades, creep tests at 1100 °C/130 MPa are carried out on sheet samples of a Ni-based single crystal superalloy with thicknesses from 0.60 to 2.17 mm. The creep rupture life is found to decrease with the decrease of sample thickness linearly, exhibiting an obvious thickness debit effect. The analysis of the microstructure evolution demonstrates that the rafting mechanism of the γ' phase of all samples remains the same (i.e. stress-induced, diffusion-controlled process) and is independent of the sample thickness. The fracture morphology reveals that the fracture mechanism of thin sample is a mixed fracture including micro voids and cleavage-like planes, while that of thick sample is micro voids-dominated. Environmental degradation suggests that surface damage due to oxidation and nitridation is not the primary causes for thickness debit effect, yet promotes the effect integrally. Finite element analyses and the observed dislocation configurations reveal that the thin sample is in a plane stress state, that activates six slip systems of the type {111}<110> and one slip system of the type {111}<112> during creep, while the thick sample is close to the ideal uniaxial stress state which activates all possible eight slip systems of the type {111}<110> and two slip systems of the type {111}<112>. Less slip systems activated in thin sample induce less work hardening, which results in heterogeneous deformation and shorter rupture life.

Numerical simulation of creep fracture evolution in fractured rock masses

The initiation, expansion, and penetration of microscopic cracks in rock is the macroscopic manifestation of creep. This paper investigates mechanical creep characteristics and fracture evolution processes in rock masses with different fracture angles, lengths, and rock bridge dip angles. Single fractures, dual parallel fractures, and fracture groups are considered. The approach comprises discrete element simulation based on continuum mechanics, utilizing the continuous and discontinuous software, GDEM. Single-fracture rock masses are characterized by a progressive fracture development mode dominated by tensile shear failure. The rate of creep and fracture magnitude both increase according to fracture length. With increasing fracture inclination angle, creep rate and fracture magnitude increase and decrease. The creep rate and degree of rupture are highest for fractures inclined at 30°. The dual-fracture rock mass exhibits both tensile crack failure and compressional shear failure. Creep rates are highest, and rupture effects are most apparent at rock bridge inclination angles of 90°. If the rock bridge is too long or too short, the stable creep stage is prolonged, but the creep acceleration stage intensifies due to interaction between fracture-bounded rock masses. The failure mode, in this case, involves collective failure by tension fractures and compressional shear. Creep rate and fracture magnitude increase with the number of fractures, which accelerates rock mass deformation to a certain extent. However, when the number of fractures reaches a certain threshold, a relatively stable structure may become established, slowing down the creep rate, especially during the creep acceleration stage. This study can provide a theoretical basis and reference for investigating the creep rupture law of rock mass engineering and the prevention and control of fractured rock mass geological disasters.

Double minimum creep processing and mechanism for γʹ strengthened cobalt-based superalloy

The double minimum creep, characterized by two creep rate minima, in Co-based superalloy is investigated using a phase-field model coupled with a crystal plasticity model. The constitutive modeling, based on the dislocation slip theory considering dislocation interaction, is applied to simulate microstructural evolution and deformation behavior. Rafting process commences at the beginning of creep until the global minimum of creep rate is reached, demonstrating a strengthening effect from N-type rafts under compressive creep. The high shear strain rate of (111)[01¯1] slip system in the intersections of horizontal and vertical γ channels leads to a slight increase of creep rate after the first local minimum. The evolution of stress field shows that the softening effect is the combined effect of the increase of resolved shear stress and the decrease of hardening stress in the intersections. Further, these changes in stress are primarily caused by the dislocation annihilation and the inhomogeneous plastic deformation. This study indicates that the intermediate local softening stage during creep may be eliminated if the initial inter-distance between γʹ precipitates is decreased.

Effect of Graphene Oxide on the Low-Temperature Crack Resistance of Polyurethane-SBS-Modified Asphalt and Asphalt Mixtures.

In this study, the novel nanomaterial graphene oxide (GO) was added as a modifier to polyurethane–styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt, and a graphene oxide/polyurethane/SBS composite-modified asphalt mix was prepared. The effect of the graphene oxide material on the low-temperature crack resistance of the asphalt and mixes was investigated by bending beam rheometer (BBR) tests, beamlet bending tests at different low temperatures, and characterization by scanning electron microscopy for its microscopic condition. OpenCV image processing was used to visually represent the low-temperature cracking of the mix. The results of the BBR tests showed that the incorporation of graphene oxide resulted in a reduction in creep stiffness S and an increase in creep rate m compared with the control asphalt. The best improvement in the low-temperature cracking resistance of the polyurethane/SBS-modified asphalt was achieved at 0.5% GO doping. The results of the small beam flexural tests showed that graphene oxide as a modifier improved the flexural strength and flexural strain of the mix, resulting in a mix with a lower stiffness modulus and a better relaxation stress capacity with the addition of graphene oxide, which is also expressed through the OpenCV images. Graphene oxide significantly improved the low-temperature crack resistance of polyurethane-SBS-modified asphalt and its mixes. As a new type of nanomaterial-modified asphalt, graphene oxide/polyurethane/SBS composite-modified asphalt shows promising applicability in cold zone roads.

Investigation of creep properties and the cytoskeletal structures of non‐tumorigenic breast cells and triple‐negative breast cancer cells

This article presents the correlation of creep and viscoelastic properties to the cytoskeletal structure of both tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells. Unique shear assay and strain mapping techniques were used to study the creep and viscoelastic properties of single non-tumorigenic and tumorigenic cells. At least 20 individual cells, three locations per cell, were studied. From the results, lower densities in the volume of actin, and keratin 18 structures were observed with the progression of cancer and were correlated to the increased creep rates and reduced mechanical properties (Young's moduli and viscosities) of tumorigenic (MDA-MB-231) cells. The study reveals significant differences between the creep and viscoelastic properties of non-tumorigenic breast cells versus tumorigenic cells. The variations in the creep strain rates are shown to be well characterized by lognormal distributions, while the statistical variations in the viscoelastic properties are well-described by normal distributions. The implications of the results are discussed for the study of discrete cell behaviors, strain and viscoelastic responses of the cell, and the role of cell cytoskeleton in the onset and progression of cancers.

Creep performance of carburized 316H stainless steel at 550 °C

The creep behaviour of two ex-service type 316H austenitic stainless steel casts with different Mn contents and austenite grain size, that were pre-carburized for either 8000 h at 550 °C or 3000 h at 600 °C in simulated CO2-rich gas environment of UK Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors, was evaluated by uniaxial creep testing at 550 °C in air. The low Mn (0.98 wt.%) steel grade with an average austenite grain size of 142 ± 110 µm presents a higher creep deformation rate and creep ductility compared to the high Mn (1.52 wt.%) steel cast with an austenite grain size of 81 ± 67 µm. Below an applied stress of 318 MPa, the presence of the sub-surface carburized layer reduces the minimum creep rate, likely due to the significantly modified material properties of the carburized layer and the presence of local compressive stresses. The stress exponent determined for the high Mn steel carburized at 600 °C (n = 9.6), and its reference non-carburized microstructure (n= 9.8), identifies the dominant creep mechanism to be dislocation climb & glide. However, crack evolution through M23C6-decorated grain boundaries within the carburized layer was observed in all the tested material's conditions at creep strains of 0.50%. The average crack length increases with creep strain and attains values close to the carburized layer thickness at creep strains of ε ≥ 1.00%. The prevalence and size of cracking increases with the local hardness carburized layer depth. At applied stresses σ ≥ 318 MPa, cracking on-loading prior to forward creep already occurs in the carburized layer, leading to a sharp increase in minimum creep rates of carburized specimens. These results demonstrate the impact a relatively thin layer of modified material can have on the materials creep performance; emphasising the requirement to consider the effects of the service environment in structural assessment procedures, particularly for high temperature applications including Generation IV and advanced modular reactor designs.