Creep refers to a material science concept that describes the likelihood of a material to deform under an applied force of mechanical stress.
Creep may also be known as material creep or cold flow.
Creep occurs due to prolonged exposure to applicable forces below the yield strength of the receiving metal. It can be observed to have greater impact when a metal is exposed to increased levels of heat.
Creep is a type of deformation that is important and experienced in a wide range of industries ranging from nuclear power plants, jet engines and even heat exchangers.
There are three main stages of creep:
