The steady-state creep behavior of metal-matrix composites was analyzed by considering 2 accommodation processes (diffusion, plastic) which were required for the materials to continue creep deformation. Creep experiments were performed by using a model in situ TiB fiber-reinforced pure α-Ti matrix composite which had good interfacial bonding, a moderate diffusional-accommodation rate and no fine oxide dispersions. A sigmoidal curve of strain-rate versus stress was observed in a double logarithmic plot. This indicated the presence of 3 deformation regions: plastic-accommodation control, diffusional-accommodation control and complete diffusional-accommodation, at high, middle and low stresses, respectively. The activation energies in the 3 regions were close to those of the volume, interface, and volume diffusities, respectively, of α-Ti.

Three Regions of Dislocation Creep in In Situ TiB Fiber-Reinforced α-Titanium Matrix Composite. K.Kawabata, E.Sato, K.Kuribayashi: Materials Transactions, 2002, 43[7], 1647-52