High-throughput estimation of transient creep response of a Ti6Al alloy using bending

Room-temperature dwell fatigue in Ti alloys poses risks to gas turbine engines and hence understanding the transient creep response of Ti alloys at low temperatures is crucial. We present a high-throughput method for extracting primary creep responses, utilizing stress and strain gradients spontaneously established in a cantilever across its thickness and length. This method, specifically tailored for alloys exhibiting Andrade-type, non-steady-state creep behavior at high stresses, allows concurrent extraction of stress, strain, and strain rate from a single bending creep test. A numerical scheme is developed to quantify stress redistribution during bending creep, identifying stress-invariant locations where stresses remain constant. Strain rates measured from these locations enable extraction of multiple stress–strain pairs from one test. Validation using Ti–6Al near and above its yield strength at room temperature demonstrates accuracy comparable to traditional uniaxial testing. This methodology offers, for the first time, a high-throughput means of accurately extracting transient creep parameters.Graphical abstract