Monkman Grant Research Articles

Rapid assessment of the creep rupture life of metals: A model enabling experimental design

Prediction of the creep rupture life of engineering metals is critical for qualification and design of new materials. The use of long-term creep tests and the need to quantify the performance variability in a priori similar systems hinder the rapid creep assessment of a given material. Therefore, it is essential to develop methods that can extrapolate the long-term performance of alloys and the associated variability from short-term experiments. To this end, this study introduces a new model which enables the estimation of the rupture life of a material for a given stress and temperature. This model relies on two components. First, a new relation for the minimum creep rate (MCR) of materials is introduced. It includes a stress dependent stress exponent allowing the model to capture the variation of MCR across a wide range of temperatures and stresses. Second, employing the Monkman-Grant (MG) law, we establish a relation between stress, temperature and creep rupture life. Together, these two elements yield a new closed-form mathematical expression for the Larson Miller parameter as a function of stress and temperature. This expression captures the creep rupture time for many metals (Gr91, Copper, Gr122 and 347H) and compares favorably with alternate empirical approaches. The model is then used to assess the minimum duration of creep rates necessary to qualify the material up to 100000h. It is found that depending on the material system, creep tests as few as five limited to 5000 h for steels (Gr91, Gr122, 347H) and 100 h for copper are sufficient to model creep lifetimes. Finally, using a Bayesian inference-based approach to calibrate the model, we demonstrate that variability in rupture life can be captured via the quantification of the uncertainty in the model parameters and extrapolated from a limited number of short to moderately short creep tests; thereby paving the way for accelerated creep testing.

High temperature tensile and creep properties of the new cladding steel of 15-15Ti-Y

The 15-15Ti austenitic stainless steel is commonly used as a fast reactor cladding material due to its favorable comprehensive properties. To further enhance its high temperature strength, yttrium (Y) modified 15-15Ti (15-15Ti-Y) steel was developed. In this study, the tensile properties of 15-15Ti-Y were evaluated across the temperature range of 200–700 °C, and the constant load creep properties of 20 % cold worked (CW) 15-15Ti-Y were measured at temperatures of 550–700 °C under various applied stresses. The results indicated that Y addition led to enhanced intragranular precipitates and delayed intergranular precipitates, which resulted in a YS (YS) that was ∼ 100 MPa higher than that of Y-free steel at temperatures ranging from 200 to 600 °C, without compromising the plasticity and ductility. The creep fracture life of 15-15Ti-Y steel ranged from 21 to 5761 h, and the deformation and damage processes were found to adhere to the Norton power-law and Modified Monkman Grant relationship. The stress exponent revealed that the deformation was dislocation creep mechanism, while the creep damage tolerance parameter suggested that the creep fracture was caused by necking. These findings provide data and theoretical support for the application of Y-modified 15-15Ti steel as a fast reactor cladding material in high temperature environments.

High‐Temperature Creep Behavior and Damage Mechanism of an Advanced Powder Metallurgy Ni‐Based Superalloy

The creep behavior of a novel powder metallurgy (PM) Ni‐based superalloy is investigated at temperatures ranging from 760 to 815 °C and stress levels in the 480–620 MPa. The steady‐state creep rate, strain to rupture, and rupture time are analyzed based on the Monkman–Grant relation (MGR) and the modified MGR (MMGR). The creep damage factor is redefined by the analysis of Monkman–Grant ductility (MGD). A general relationship between the time reaching MGD and creep life is established. The sharply accelerated creep stage is proposed and the MMGR of the transient creep parameters in this stage is established. The nucleation, growth, and connection of grain‐boundary creep cavities dominate the creep damage of the alloy. The stress concentration caused by the accumulation of dislocations at grain boundaries and σ‐phase interfaces and the grain‐boundary slipping are the main reasons for the nucleation of grain‐boundary cavities. The coupling effect of the temperature and the stress aggravates the damage of grain boundary and the degradation of microstructure.

Creep life assessment of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel based on Monkman–Grant relationship considering temperature and stress dependences of strain required for rupture

ABSTRACT Regarding the application of the Monkman-Grant relationship to creep strength enhanced ferritic steels such as modified 9Cr-1Mo and 12Cr steels, there have been many reports showing that results tend to be an overestimation of the creep life in the long-term region. To address this issue, an author conducted a study to improve the estimation accuracy in the long-term region by the Monkman Grant relationship. Analysing the published creep test data for modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, the author found that the product of the minimum creep strain rate and rupture time (Ɛ MG ) is not constant but depends on the loading conditions, which are test temperature and stress. Then, the author proposed an extended Monkman-Grant relationship considering the dependence of Ɛ MG on the loading conditions. When this model was applied to the data for modified 9Cr-1Mo and 12Cr steels, the creep life was predicted with good accuracy from the short-term to long-term regions.

Study on creep characteristics and the isochronous stress–strain curve of Ni-Cr-Mo superalloy

ABSTRACT C276 superalloy is considered as a potential structural material for advanced nuclear reactor with good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. High-temperature creep behaviour of C276 alloy was investigated in the temperature range of 650°C–700°C and at stresses of 140–430 MPa. A linear relationship was fitted between stress and minimum creep rate in the logarithmic coordinate system. The rupture time is analysed for life prediction in terms of isotherm extrapolation method, Monkman–Grant relation, and Larson–Miller parameter method, respectively. The isochronous stress–strain curves as a means of representing stress–strain–time relations under creep conditions were established by the parameter method. The fracture surface morphology of ruptured specimens was characterised by a scanning electron microscope to elucidate the failure mechanism.

Small punch creep test reveals the differences of high-temperature creep behaviours for laser powder bed fusion and Rolled Inconel 718 alloys

The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive super alloy is with the manufacturing advantages in high temperature equipment, but their creep behaviour especially for the effective heat treatment is not well understood. In this paper, small punch creep test (SPCT) is used to compare the creep properties of Inconel 718 fabricated by LPBF and the counterpart processed via rolling, considering different heat treatments. After aging heat treatment, both creep deformation and life of LPBF Inconel 718 are much lower than those of rolled nickel-base alloy. In contrast, after solution and aging heat treatment, the creep deformation capacity and life of LPBF Inconel 718 are significantly improved, and the difference of creep resistance between them is greatly reduced. Based on the Chakrabarty membrane stretching model, the equivalent creep strain and equivalent creep stress are estimated. The equivalent creep strain-time curve proves that the solution and aging heat treatment effectively improves the creep resistance of LPBF Inconel 718. Then, based on Norton creep model, Larson Miller model and Monkman Grant model, the creep life equations of LPBF Inconel 718 and Rolled Inconel 718 under two heat treatment conditions are obtained. Finally, the fracture mechanism of Rolled Inconel 718 under aging heat treatment is the creep induced brittle intergranular cracking, while LPBF Inconel 718 is dominated by the creep induced layered brittle cracking with serrated propagation along columnar grains. After solution and aging heat treatment, intergranular brittle cracking caused by microcracks at grain boundaries occurs in Rolled Inconel 718, accompanied by the appearance of creep micro-voids. In comparison, the fracture mode in LPBF Inconel 718 is the zigzag cracking along columnar grain with the elongation and stagger of long columnar grains.

Effect of Thermal Exposure on Mechanical Properties of Al-Si-Cu-Ni-Mg Aluminum Alloy

The microstructure morphology and evolution of mechanical properties are investigated in this study. The results show that the phases displayed no clear change after thermal exposure at 250 °C for 200 h. The tensile strength of the as-cast alloy showed a downward trend in different degrees with the increase in the tensile temperature, while the influence of elongation was opposite to the tensile strength. In addition, the tensile strength tended to be stable after thermal exposure at 250 °C for 100 h. The main creep mechanism of the as-cast alloy at a low temperature and low stress (T ≤ 250 °C; σ ≤ 40 MPa) is grain-boundary creep. The Monkman–Grant empirical formula was used to fit the relationship between the creep life and the minimum creep rate, and the fitting results are: tr·ε˙min0.95=0.207.

Creep life estimation of a service‐exposed P91 cross‐weld joint based on a primary‐secondary creep deformation model

AbstractCreep deformation and rupture behavior of welded joints from service‐exposed P91 steel were investigated by creep tests and microstructure examination. A series of miniature tensile creep tests were conducted at 569°C under applied stresses ranging from 182.5 to 286 MPa for the heat‐affected zone (HAZ), base metal, and weld metal. Creep deformation behavior was modeled using the experimentally measured creep strain data as the primary creep‐secondary creep (PC‐SC) model and fitting closely with the measured creep curves of each metal. Power‐law type creep equations were employed to describe the primary and secondary creep behavior. The creep rupture life of the cross‐weld specimen was predicted using the PC‐SC model with HAZ properties. An accurate prediction was possible if the stress in estimation was increased to 1.14 times of the actual applied stress. The creep test results with the cross‐weld specimens were used for verification. Applying the Monkman–Grant relationship and the creep damage tolerance factors to the cross‐weld joint life prediction are also discussed.

High-temperature creep rupture behavior of dissimilar welded joints in martensitic heat resistant steels

The creep rupture behavior and microstructure changes of dissimilar welded joints of two types of martensitic heat resistant steel F92 and Co3W2, under a creep testing of 115–200 MPa and 873–893 K, were investigated. Fracture position and mode change from transgranular ductile fracture in parent F92 to intergranular brittle fracture in the fine grain heat affected zone (type IV cracking) near F92, with the drop of applied stress. Microstructural degradation resulted from creep with respect to dislocation density decrease, precipitates coarsening, dislocation cells, microvoids, macroscopic secondary cracks, and fracture surface morphology are researched based on detailed experimental results. The creep rupture data are analyzed employing Norton’s power law, Monkman–Grant relation, creep damage tolerance, and Larson–Miller parameter. Main creep damage micromechanisms are analyzed with the aid of calculated and experimental data. The extrapolating creep rupture stress for a creep life of 100,000 h are obtained and the influence of stress change and temperature change on creep life are compared in terms of calculated normalized creep life growth rate.

Creep rupture behavior of 2.25Cr1Mo0.25V steel and weld for hydrogenation reactors under different stress levels

Abstract In the present research work, the 2.25Cr1Mo0.25V steel plates with a thickness of 112 mm were welded using the multi-pass submerged automatic arc welding process. The creep specimens were prepared from the base metal (BM) and weld metal (WM) in the welded joint after heat treatment process. The uniaxial creep tests were performed to investigate the creep deformation and rupture behaviors at 550°C under different applied stress levels. The microstructure and fracture surface morphology of crept BM and WM samples were also characterized using the scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results showed that typical three-stage creep deformation curves are observed in both BM and WM specimens, and the BM exhibits a faster deformation rate than the WM. Both the creep rupture time and uniaxial creep ductility are found to be increased with a decrease in applied stress. Furthermore, the relationship between the minimum creep rate and time to rupture of both BM and WM samples was obtained, and it can be described using a unified Monkman–Grant equation. In addition, it is found that the creep fractures of the BM and WM are a transgranular ductile failure. The creep damages of both materials are mainly associated with the microstructural degradations, that is, the initiation and coalescence of creep cavities at second phase particles such as carbide and inclusion particles along the loading direction.

Finite Element Modelling of Creep Rupture on Grade 91 Steel using Monkman-Grant Ductility based Damage Model

Failure strain is a main parameter used in the ductility exhaustion based damage model in which the accuracy of the prediction is dependent on its input value. The experimental measured has indicated that the value of strain at fracture is extensively scattered, therefore may affect the prediction. This paper presents the result of creep rupture time using a modified creep damage model incorporating Monkman-Grant (MG) failure strain as an alternative to strain at fracture. Both strains at fracture and MG failure strain are separately employed in the damage model to predict the failure time of uniaxial smooth specimen and notched bar with different acuity ratios of 3.0 and 20. The FE model of the specimen is loaded under different stress values and the multiaxial failure strain at each stress level is estimated using Cock and Ashby void growth model. The predicted creep rupture time that is compared to the experimental data (in a range of 40-1000 hours) showing a good agreement within the scatter band of +/-factor of 2. Both approaches using strain at fracture and MG failure strain can be used in predicting the creep failure under uniaxial and multiaxial features. The advantage of using MG strain is that the laboratory creep testing can be interrupted prior to specimen fractured or once the secondary creep deformation occurs. Meanwhile, the determination of strain at fracture needs longer test duration where the test can bestopped only when the specimen broken.

Short-term creep and low cycle fatigue unified criterion for a hybridised composite material

The objective of this work is to determine a low cycle fatigue criterion for a thermoplastic matrix composite reinforced with both short and continuous fibres. The proposed criterion is based on the steady state creep strain rate and unifies the results for different fibre orientations, stress ratio, frequency and water content. The criterion is applicable in low cycle fatigue and creep. By means of this criterion, the Monkman–Grant relationship is verified both for creep and low cycle fatigue and offers interesting perspectives for numerical approaches.

ɤ-TiAl alloy: revisiting tensile creep deformation behaviour and creep life at 832 °C

ABSTRACT Creep deformation in single-phase ɤ-TiAl alloys manufactured using different processing techniques has been an extensively studied topic owing to the high specific strength and excellent creep properties of these alloys at temperatures between 760 and 1000°C. In addition, these lightweight and creep-resistant alloys are being presently considered as replacements to the comparatively heavier Ni-based superalloys for application in the low-pressure turbine blades of the next-generation gas turbine engines. However, there is limited information on the tensile creep deformation behaviour and creep life of ɤ-TiAl alloys at 832°C where these alloys have been reported not to exhibit steady-state creep. To this end, the present work revisits the work on understanding the tensile creep deformation behaviour of wrought single-phase ɤ-TiAl alloy by Saha [1] and is aimed to develop an understanding of the tensile creep deformation behaviour at 832°C and the influence of creep activation energy on the creep life of wrought single-phase ɤ-TiAl alloy for stress levels of 69.4 and 103.4 MPa at 832°C using Monkman–Grant [2] approach.

Evaluation of Monkman–Grant strain as a key parameter in ductility exhaustion damage model to predict creep rupture of grade 92 steel

Conventional strain-based numerical prediction assumes that failure occurs when ductility is exhausted or accumulation of creep strain reaches the critical failure strain. Due to instability at the onset of rupture, the failure strain value appears to be scattered and leads to the erroneousness in prediction. In this paper, a new local constraint-based damage model incorporating the Monkman–Grant ductility, as a measure of strain during uniform creep deformation stage, was implemented into a Finite Element (FE) model to predict the creep damage and rupture of Grade 92 steel under uniaxial and multiaxial stress states. The prediction was applied on plain and notched bar specimens with various notch acuities. The uniaxial stress-dependent Monkman–Grant (MG) failure strain was adopted in the FE to simulate the influence of the constraints which were induced by the creep damage. The implication of reduced failure strain in long-term creep time on the rupture prediction is discussed. The multiaxial MG failure strain of the notched bar, which has a lower value than uniaxial failure strain due to the geometrical constraint, was estimated based on the linear inverse relationship between normalised MG failure strain and normalised triaxiality factor. It was found that the results obtained from the proposed technique were in good agreement with the experimental data within the scatter band of ± factor of 2. It was shown that MG failure strain can be used as an alternative to strain at fracture. MG strain outweighed strain at fracture because the determination of its value only required short-term testing to be performed. In most cases considered in the present investigation, the rupture-type fracture was predicted, however, there was evidence that under high constraint and low stress, stable crack propagation occurred before fracture. The location of the maximum creep damage was found to be dependent on the creep time, geometry or acuity level of the specimen. For sharp notch specimen, the failure was initiated near the notch root, however, as the notch radius increased, the initiation location moved further away towards the specimen centre.

An Investigation into the Correlation of Small Punch and Uniaxial Creep Data for Waspaloy

Within the aerospace sector, the understanding and prediction of creep strains for materials used in high-temperature applications, such as Nickel-based super alloys, is imperative. Small punch testing offers the potential for understanding creep behavior using much less material than conventional uniaxial testing but in contrast to uniaxial creep tests, the stress in small punch creep (SPC) tests is multiaxial. SPC testing can be a valuable tool for validating models of creep deformation, but the key to unlocking its full capability is through the accurate correlation of the creep material properties measured through both techniques. As such, the focus of this paper is to correlate the creep behavior of Waspaloy obtained through conventional uniaxial testing to that obtained via small punch creep testing. Recently, and for low chrome steels, this has been achieved through use of the ksp method, but there are good reasons for believing this technique will not work so well for Nickel-based super alloys. This paper shows this to be the case for Waspaloy and proposes some alternative methods of correlation based on combining the Monkman–Grant relation and the Wilshire equations for both uniaxial and small punch creep. It was found that this latter approach enabled the accurate conversion of SPC minimum displacement rates to equivalent uniaxial minimum creep rates which, when combined with the Wilshire equations, enabled SPC test loads to be converted into equivalent uniaxial stresses (and visa versa) with levels of accuracy that were significantly reduced when compared to using the ksp method. Further, the random error associated with these conversions were dramatically increased.

Characterization of thermal aging effects on the creep performance of T91 using small punch creep testing

AbstractThis paper is concerned with the development and application of a small punch creep testing method for assessment of the effects of thermal aging and associated precipitate coarsening on the high temperature creep life and deformation behavior of a 9Cr ferritic–martensitic steel. The tests are conducted on P91 steel, for both aged (up to 1 year) and unaged specimens, at temperatures of 600°C. The unaged test results are shown to be consistent with previously published creep tensile test rupture life data in terms of Chakrabarty membrane stress. Aging is shown to have a significant, detrimental effect on creep life and deformation rate. The steady‐state displacement rate, time to failure, and displacement at failure data, for both aged and unaged, were successfully correlated via the modified Monkman–Grant relationship.

High-Temperature Creep Behavior and Microstructural Evolution of a Cu-Nb Co-Alloyed Ferritic Heat-Resistant Stainless Steel

The creep behavior of Fe–17Cr–1.2Cu–0.5Nb–0.01C ferritic heat-resistant stainless steel was investigated at temperatures ranging from 973 to 1123 K and stresses from 15 to 90 MPa. The evolution of precipitates after creep deformation was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectrum, and transmission electron microscopy. The minimum creep rate decreased with the decrease in the applied load and temperature, thereby extending the rupture life. Cu-rich phase and Nb-rich Laves particles were generated in dominant quantities during the creep process, and the co-growth relationship between them could be detected. Creep rupture was featured by ductile fracture with considerable necking. As increasing the temperature and decreasing the stress, the softening of the metal matrix was accelerated, showing more obvious plastic flow. The true stress exponent and activation energy were 4.9 and 375.5 kJ/mol, respectively, indicating that the creep deformation was dominated by the diffusion-controlled dislocation creep mechanism involving precipitate-dislocation interactions. Based on the creep rupture data obtained, the Monkman–Grant relation and Larson-Miller parameter were established, which described the creep rupture life for the studied steel well.

Creep Life Assessment of a Super-Heater Tube

Characteristics of creep deformation for 2.25Cr -1Mo were studied using the Monkman–Grant relation. A series of creep tests were conducted on 2.25Cr -1Mo at low-stress levels and at different temperatures ranging from 655 0C to 6850C . The analysis of creep data indicates that 2.25Cr -1Mo is practically supported by Monkman-Grant relationship. Yet, this paper highlights the foremost difficulties associated with the parametric fitting techniques. The damage tolerance factor has been estimated to demonstrate its reliance on the loading conditions and to categorize the material strain concentration. It has been shown that at 55MPa and T=6850C , the tertiary creep stage is not well characterized. Also, this paper identifies a need to provide a serious consideration for an appropriate creep strength factor that would be applied to pressure vessels and to improve the criteria related to design against creep and the prevention of failure.

The critical role of Monkman–Grant ductility in creep cavity nucleation

ABSTRACT Brittle rupture during creep of materials is due to the formation and evolution of inter-granular cavities. Creep cavity nucleation rates – contrary to growth rates – are unpredictable, thus hindering forecasts about the lifespan of any material/specimen under creep. Via rigorous theoretical calculation, it is shown that creep cavity nucleation rates are linked to the Monkman–Grant ductility and that they can be quantitatively estimated through this link. Hence, a relevant phenomenological formula is verified, and creep-induced material-porosity estimations become achievable which in turn lead to improved predictions of rupture times or strains or other possible creep-porosity-related material properties like elastic moduli, thermal and electrical conductivities.

Long-Term Creep Behavior of a CoCrFeNiMn High-Entropy Alloy

The potential of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) to meet or exceed austenitic stainless steel performance with the additional benefit of improved hot corrosion/oxidation resistance makes FCC HEAs attractive for use in energy applications. While shorter-term creep tests have been reported in the literature on HEAs, not all methodologies utilize repeatable techniques. This manuscript reports on over 23,500 accumulated hours of tensile creep testing with adherence to ASTM standards on a melt-solidified ingot of CoCrFeNiMn HEA converted to wrought plate using conventional thermo-mechanical processing techniques. The typical standard creep analyses are reported, i.e., Larson–Miller parameter, Monkman–Grant relationship, activation energy for creep, and creep stress exponents were calculated and compared to previously reported short-term creep tests. Additionally, characteristics of creep fracture and microstructural evolution are reported with cursory dislocation mechanisms investigated.