Experimental study on multi-step creep properties of rat skins

• Creep strain, strain rate, and life are sensitive to stress.
• Strain recovers in low stress creep after a high stress creep history.
• Strain rate of low stress creep after high stress creep history becomes zero.
• Low stress creep, stress relaxation, then high stress creep reduces void ratio.

Tension, single-step creep, and multi-step creep of rat skins at room temperature were experimentally studied. We studied the effects of loading histories of high stress creep, low stress creep, and stress relaxation on multi-step creep. Microstructure of rat skins after prescribed tests were observed microscopically with the help of standard hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). The void ratios were also analyzed. The loading histories of high stress creep, low stress creep, and stress relaxation have significant influence on multi-step creep. We found that the creep strain and its rate in the steady-state stage and the creep-fatigue life of rat skins are sensitive to creep stress. Low stress creep after the loading history of high stress creep is characterized as a recovery of strain and a zero strain rate. Both the loading history of low stress creep and stress relaxation act as a recovery in multi-step creep, and they are driven by a same mechanism in the creep strain and the void ratio of rat skins. The loading history, of which sequence is as followings successively: low stress creep, stress relaxation, and high stress creep, helps to obtain the largest creep strain at the lowest void ratio.