Institute of Physics of Materials AS CR, v. v. i. > List of facilities > Creep machines - our own design

Creep machines - our own design

ContactIng. Petr Dymáček, Ph.D.

35 creep machines of our own construction allowing tests up to 950°C and various loading modes.

In all tests - possibility of protective atmosphere: purified dry argon, hydrogen, nitrogen.

35 creep machines of own construction allowing (alternatively):


  1. constant tensile load tests

    1. max. load 8000 N

    2. max. strain 0.60 (0.47 true) (at 50 mm gauge length)


  2. constant tensile stress tests
    (Hostinský and Čadek, J. Test. Eval. 4, 1976, p. 26)

    1. specimen gauge lengths 25, 35 and 50 mm

    2. max. initial load 8000 N

    3. max. strain 0.42 (0.35 true)

  3. constant compressive stress tests (only 5 machines)
    ( Dobeš et al., J. Test. Eval. 14, 1986, p. 271)

    1. specimen gauge lengths 7.5, 12, 15 mm

    2. max. load 8000 N

    3. max. strain 0.32 (0.28 true)

  4. constant tensile stress (or load) with a possibility of rapid cooling under stress at a predetermined time of creep exposure - see a) or b) - three machines

  5. e. small punch tests – SPT (three machines identical with sub d)
    ceramic ball penetrated through a thin disk under:

    1. a given force, central deflection of the disc is measured – analogy with creep tests

    2. constant rate of deflection, acting force is measured – analogy with stress–strain tests.



In all tests - possibility of protective atmosphere: purified dry argon, hydrogen, nitrogen

Testing temperatures:

R.T., 70 - 950 °C, constant within:

1 K for 70 - 600 °C

2 K for 600 - 950 °C

Temperature gradient along the whole 50 mm gauge length - lower than 2 K



Elongation detection:

continuous analog and digital recording
range of creep rates: 10-10 to 10-2 s-1



registration of data - PROGRAM CRTES1 (developed in IPM)



Creep curves processing:

fitting by standard constitutive equations; statistical assessment of long-term properties.



Other options

  • Possibility of recording of creep tests with varying applied stress:

    • computer treated creep dip tests,

    • tests with slow applied stress cycling

    • Possibility to perform stress–strain tests (in tension as well as in compression) at constant crosshead velocity at all temperatures and in protective atmospheres (on three creep machines)