Cast nickel-based superalloys INC713 LC, B1914 and MAR-M247 are widely used for high temperature components in the aerospace, automotive and power industries due to their good castability, high level of strength properties at high temperature and hot corrosion resistance. The present study is focused on the mutual comparison of the creep properties of the above-mentioned superalloys, their creep and fracture behaviour and the identification of creep deformation mechanism(s). Standard constant load uniaxial creep tests were carried out up to the rupture at applied stress ranging from 150 to 700 MPa and temperatures of 800–1000 °C. The experimentally determined values of the stress exponent of the minimum creep rate, n, were rationalized by considering the existence of the threshold stress, σ₀. The corrected values of the stress exponent correspond to the power-law creep regime and suggest dislocation climb and glide as dominating creep deformation mechanisms. Fractographic observations clearly indicate that the creep fracture is a brittle mostly mixed transgranular and intergranular mode, resulting in relatively low values of fracture strain. Determined main creep parameters show that the superalloy MAR-M247 exhibits the best creep properties, followed by B1914 and then the superalloy INC713 LC. However, that each of the investigated superalloys can be successfully used for high temperature components fulfils the required service loading conditions.

The effect of ultrafine-grained size on creep behaviour was investigated in P92 steel. Ultrafine-grained steel was prepared by one revolution of high-pressure torsion at room temperature. Creep tensile tests were performed at 873 K under the initially-applied stress range between 50 and 160 MPa. The microstructure was investigated using transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy equipped with an electron-back scatter detector. It was found that ultrafine-grained steel exhibits significantly faster minimum creep rates, and there was a decrease in the value of the stress exponent in comparison with coarse-grained P92 steel. Creep results also showed an abrupt decrease in the creep rate over time during the primary stage. The abrupt deceleration of the creep rate during the primary stage was shifted, with decreasing applied stress with longer creep times. The change in the decline of the creep rate during the primary stage was probably related to the enhanced precipitation of the Laves phase in the ultrafine-grained microstructure.

This paper examines the effect of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) on creep behaviour of pure aluminium, binary Al-0.2wt.%Sc alloy and ternary Al-3wt.%Mg-0.2wt.%Sc alloy. The ECAP was conducted at room temperature with a die that had a 90° angle between the channels and 8 repetitive ECAP passes followed route BC. Constant stress compression creep tests were performed at 473 K and stresses ranging between 16 to 80 MPa on ECAP materials and, for comparison purposes, on the initial coarse-grained materials. The results showed that the creep resistance of the ECAP processed Al-Sc and Al-Mg-Sc alloys was markedly deteriorated with respect to unpressed coarse-grained materials.