Nonproportional Loading Steps in Multiaxial Creep of 2618 Aluminum

Experimental data on the creep behavior of 2618-T61 aluminum alloy under nonproportional loadings are presented. Among the important findings are the anisotropy induced by creep strain, synergistic effects during creep recovery, and strongly nonlinear material behavior at high stress levels. Data were compared with two theoretical models, a viscous-viscoelastic (VV) model and a viscoplastic (VP) model. In the VV model the time-dependent strain was decomposed into recoverable (viscoelastic) and nonrecoverable components. The VP model differs from the VV model in that all the time-dependent strain is assumed nonrecoverable. In each model, three viscoplastic flow rules based on different hardening natures, namely, isotropic strain hardening, kinematic hardening, and independent strain hardening were derived to describe the time-dependent nonrecoverable strain component, and compared with experiments. The viscoelastic component in the VV model was represented by the third-order multiple integral representation combined with the modified superposition principle. Predictions for all theories used material constants obtained from creep and recovery data only. Possible causes for the discrepancies between theories and experimental data were discussed. Further experimental and theoretical work necessary for the study of the time-dependent material behavior at high temperature were also suggested.