4.1 Creep tests measure the time-dependent deformation under force at a given temperature, and, by implication, the force-carrying capability of the material for limited deformations. Creep rupture tests, properly interpreted, provide a measure of the force-carrying capability of the material as a function of time and temperature. The two tests complement each other in defining the force-carrying capability of a material for a given period of time. In selecting materials and designing parts for service at elevated temperatures, the type of test data used will depend on the criteria for force-carrying capability that best defines the service usefulness of the material.

4.2 This test method may be used for material development, quality assurance, characterization, and design data generation.

4.3 High-strength, monolithic ceramic materials, generally characterized by small grain sizes (<50 μm) and bulk densities near their theoretical density, are candidates for load-bearing structural applications at elevated temperatures. These applications involve components such as turbine blades which are subjected to stress gradients and multiaxial stresses.

4.4 Data obtained for design and predictive purposes shall be obtained using any appropriate combination of test methods that provide the most relevant information for the applications being considered. It is noted here that ceramic materials tend to creep more rapidly in tension than in compression (1-3).4 This difference results in time-dependent changes in the stress distribution and the position of the neutral axis when tests are conducted in flexure. As a consequence, deconvolution of flexural creep data to obtain the constitutive equations needed for design cannot be achieved without some degree of uncertainty concerning the form of the creep equations, and the magnitude of the creep rate in tension vis-a-vis the creep rate in compression. Therefore, creep data for design and life prediction shall be obtained in both tension and compression, as well as the expected service stress state.