Institute of Metal Research,CAS

Creep testing was conducted on K40S alloy. The detailed creep deformation and fracture mechanisms under constant load were studied. The results show that the stress exponent ranges between 7 and 14.4 at elevated temperature 973～1173 K, and that the activation energy is approximately 449.1 kJ/mol. During creep, the grain boundary sliding cut off primary carbides at the boundary, generating the "O" model cracks. The creep failure mode of K40S alloy is transgranular ductile and cracks originate at the primary carbides. A long carbide and matrix interface is often a preferential path for crack propagation. The creep mechanism is discussed in light of the creep microstructure, the stress exponent and the activation energy.