I have designed a sheet metal bracket from 4mm stainless steel 304. There is a load on one of the corners that causes a 0.4mm deflection. I think this is OK right now, but I am concerned about creep (material straining over time). Will that 0.4mm stretch to 2mm in 10 years time? :shock: Does anyone know a simple way of calculating creep of a material? By the way, the force applied to create the deflection is 200N, and the temperature range the part will see over its lifespan is between -40 to +80degrees Celcius (I know that this kind of info is important for creep issues) Any help would be welcomed as I'm really stuck on this.
the best online database for material properties that i have found is matweb.com. That said, 304 at 80c isn't going anywhwere. you listed a load, and a deflection, but not a stress level. However, assuming that you are at something sane like 80% of yield or less, 80C is not hot enought for you to have to worry about creep.
