thermal fatigue

thermal fatigue

thermal fatigueStages of thermal fatigue or blade creep on a typical turbine blade. In the primary stage the initial rate of creep decreases rapidly, in secondary stage the rate decreases more slowly or may be substantially constant and in tertiary stage, the rate increases rapidly and leads eventually to fracture.A kind of metal fatigue caused by repeated heating and cooling. It is prominent in turbines where some heating or cooling takes place each time a power setting is changed. Also called creep damage. See also creep (ii).