Creep Notch Stress Intensity Factors for mode 1 loaded solids with pointed V notches

In the present work, a method to derive the creep Notch Stress Intensity Factors (NSIFs), quantifying the intensity of the stress fields in V-notched creeping solids, is proposed. The method is based on a non-conventional reformulation of the well-known Neuber Rule, focusing the attention on Mode 1 loaded V-notched solids under plane strain conditions and made of a material obeying a predominantly secondary creep, as described by the Norton constitutive model. Thanks to the rigorous analytical framework presented, a well-defined analytical link between creep Notch Stress Intensity Factors and elastic NSIFs is derived and validated against numerical results from a bulk of non-linear finite element analyses, considering different geometries, materials and loading conditions. The solution derived represents a powerful tool, allowing one to quickly estimate the local stress fields under creep, which would, instead, require time-consuming non-linear transient creep analyses.