Temperature induced creep in low-alloy structural Q345 steel

Significant levels of creep deformations in structural steel members exposed to high temperatures has been widely observed in experiments; however, inclusion of creep effects in numerical simulations has been limited due to lack of reliable experimental data and corresponding constitutive creep models for structural steel. This paper presents an experimental investigation into temperature-induced creep in low-alloy Q345 steel, which is commonly used in structural members. A set of creep tests is carried out at various stress levels in 300-900°C temperature range. Data from these creep tests indicate that temperature has significant influence on the level of creep deformations in Q345 steel, especially when the temperature in steel exceeds 400°C. The creep strain at a given temperature increases with stress level and the creep strain at a given stress level increases with temperature.