Modelling the formation and self-healing of creep damage in iron-based alloys.

A self-consistent model is applied to predict the creep cavity growth and strain rates in metals from the perspective of self-healing. In this model, the creep cavity growth rate is intricately linked to the strain rate. The self-healing process causes precipitates to grow inside creep cavities. Due to the Kirkendall effect, a diffusional flux of vacancies is induced in the direction away from the creep cavity during this selective self-healing precipitation. This process impedes the creep cavity growth. The critical stress for self-healing can be derived, and an analysis is made of the efficiency of self-healing elements in binary Fe-Cu, Fe-Au, Fe-Mo, and Fe-W alloys. Fe-Au is found to be the most efficient self-healing alloy. Fe-Mo and Fe-W alloys provide good alternatives that have the potential to be employed at high temperatures.