Date of Award:

8-2026

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Ryan Berke

Committee

Ryan Berke

Committee

Thomas Fronk

Committee

Nadia Kouraytem

Committee

Haoran Wang

Committee

James Bay

Abstract

Advanced materials are widely used in industries such as nuclear energy, aerospace, and automotive engineering, where components are exposed to extreme temperatures and stresses over long periods of time. As new materials continue to emerge, researchers need efficient ways to evaluate their mechanical performance so they can be used safely and effectively. Among several mechanical challenges, creep is a major concern in these conditions. Creep is a type of mechanical failure in which materials gradually deform when exposed to high temperatures and constant load. Conventional methods for evaluating creep typically involve testing a single specimen at a time, which can take weeks or even months to complete. This makes it difficult to assess new materials in a timely manner. In this dissertation, a novel series-based approach is developed and implemented, in which four small-scale specimens are connected end-to-end and tested simultaneously. Four cameras are used to independently monitor deformation in each specimen. Commercially available 316L stainless steel specimens are first used to validate the approach. The methodology is then applied to more quickly characterize the creep behavior of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316L stainless steel. Finally, the experimental data are combined with X-ray computed tomography (XCT) to study the influence of porosity on creep behavior. The results show that this approach can increase creep testing throughput by up to four times compared to conventional methods, providing a more efficient way to evaluate materials for high-temperature experimental solid mechanics applications.

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