Investigation of local properties of exposed construction parts by means of small punch test

During service exposure at elevated temperatures, the stress and strain fields are distributed non-homogeneously even in very simple components. As a result, creep damage is also distributed non-homogeneously. For the reliable assessment of further lifetime of such components, it is apparently necessary to know as exactly as possible their instantaneous creep properties. A prospective technique for this task is the small punch testing. The technique consists in a deformation of small disc by a penetrator. In the paper, the potential of the technique for the estimation of local creep properties and the results obtained in testing power plant pipe are presented.