The relationship between the Uniaxial Creep Test and the Small Punch Creep Test of the AZ31 magnesium alloy

In this paper, creep properties of an AZ31 magnesium alloy have been obtained by two different types of creep test: conventional the Uniaxial Creep Test (UCT) and the Small Punch Creep Test (SPCT). The SCPT is currently being studied as an alternative test to obtain the creep properties in those cases where there is not enough material for conducting conventional testing. This test basically consists of punching, under constant load, a small size specimen (10×10×0.5mm3) with the ends fixed. The parametric predictive methods on creep, like Larson–Miller and Orr–Sherby–Dorn, are used for comparison. For the reference material used, AZ31 magnesium alloy, SPCT and UCT master curves have been determined, and a correlation between UCT and SPCT results has been established. The activation energy and the failure time predictions obtained from both tests indicate that SPCT is an appropriate method to obtain creep properties for these kinds of materials.