Abstract
Small punch creep testing (SPCT) of thin disc specimens can be considered as a useful technique for determination of creep properties of exposed components of power generation. In this work, the Kocks-Mecking-Estrin (KME) constitutive model is used to simulate the small punch creep behaviour of the P91 steel at 600℃ based on a full set of experimental results. An implicit computational algorithm is developed based on the radial return mapping approach. Finite element analyses of a small punch creep test is carried out using ABAQUS software coupled with a UMAT material subroutine which has been developed by the authors. The small punch creep test results are compared with the corresponding results from modelling using the UMAT code. In addition, a comparison of results of the uniaxial tensile test for the P91 steel at 600℃ with the corresponding modelling results is also presented. The numerical results obtained have shown the model’s versatility and good predictive capability for the P91 steel at 600℃.