Difference in the creep and creep crack growth behaviour between creep ductile and brittle materials

By relating the creep crack growth versus time curve to the creep displacement curve, different characteristics have been observed between creep-ductile and creep-brittle materials in a precracked or a notched specimen. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to further clarify these differences by including the microstructural mechanism, the damage mechanics and continuum mechanical analysis. Based on the results, new ideas have been proposed for explaining the difference between the behaviour of creep-ductile and creep-brittle materials in a precracked or a notched specimen.