Tensile Creep Behavior of a Vitreous-Bonded Aluminum Oxide under Static and Cyclic Loading

Creep deformation and rupture behavior of a vitreousbonded aluminum oxide was investigated under uniaxial static and cyclic tensile loadings at 1000°, 1100°, and 1175°C. The material was more creep resistant, i.e., having lower creep strain rates, under cyclic loading compared to that under static loading. For the same maximum applied stress, the ratio of steady‐state creep rate under static loading to that under cyclic loading at 1100°C was approximately 100. However, the value of this ratio decreased to about 10 when the testing temperature was raised to 1175°C or lowered to 1000°C. Under static loading the material had more propensity to develop creep damage in the form of micro‐ and macrocracks, leading to early failure, whereas under cyclic loading the creep damage was more uniformly distributed in the form of cavities confined to the multigrain junctions. Viscous bridging by the grain boundary second phase may be the primary contributor to the lower creep deformation rate and improved lifetime under cyclic loading.