ASME Practice Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Creep in material science specifically describes the gradual and time-dependent deformation of materials when subjected to a constant load or stress over an extended period. This phenomenon is particularly significant at elevated temperatures, where materials like metals may exhibit significant creep behavior beyond their initial elastic limits.

Under constant stress, materials will deform slowly and continuously, which can lead to eventual failure if the stress persists long enough. This is crucial for applications such as turbine blades in jet engines or structural components in power plants, where high temperatures and sustained loads are common.

The other options describe different behaviors: instantaneous deformation refers to elastic and plastic responses to load, elastic recovery pertains to the material's ability to return to its original shape after stress removal, and fatigue failure involves the weakening of material due to repetitive loading cycles, none of which capture the essence of creep as a time-dependent process. Thus, the correct choice highlights the unique characteristic of gradual deformation under constant stress over time, making it the accurate representation of creep.