Analysis of damage during bending creep tests

The bending creep test (with overhang beam geometry) is investigated, incorporating the important contribution of damage. A simplified analytical model shows that the evolution of damage is analogous to the classic K-R creep damage law. Finite-element simulations incorporating the creep damage law are employed to investigate the behaviour of the bending creep specimen. Good agreement of the lifetime is found between theoretical analysis and FEM simulation. We also propose several useful methods of determining the creep damage parameters directly from the bending creep tests. The results may shed some light on damage evolution during bending creep, as well as providing an efficient way of determining material damage characteristics.