Ductile fracture and lifetime prediction of structural materials and components under high-temperature creep conditions

The problem of long-term strength prediction of structural materials under uniaxial and biaxial creep conditions, which give rise to ductile fracture, is considered. A new approach to long-term fracture modelling based on constitutive equations of the "isochronous creep theory" and criteria of ductile fracture is suggested. The change in the momentary tangential modulus specifies the materials theological behaviour and a value tending to zero is assumed as the ductile fracture criterion. Using the model the times to fracture of rods, beams and thin-walled tubes made of high-temperature and heat-resistant materials are estimated and they show good agreement with experimental data. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.