ABSTRACT
The term creep denotes slowly proceeding deformation of solid matter under a maintained load. The first systematic studies providing some quantitative informa tion on the nature of creep were those of Andrade (1910). During World War I, research on creep became more urgent. Impetus was given by the rapid increase in steam admission temperatures in power plants (to about 670 K in the 1920s), approaching the creep range of low-alloy steels. Early researchers were concerned with finding the limiting stress below which creep would not occur, but using more accurate experimental techniques, this idea was subsequently shown to be false.
