**2. Outline of this book**

This study presents the results of the research into the creep effect in different materials (ceramics, metallic materials, polymers and organic materials) and presents the method for using the assessment based on creep tests and numerical calculations to determine the actual lifetime. The publication also shows how to use the accelerated creep tests whose duration is reduced by changing one of the parameters in relation to the actual ones for such an assessment.

The development of materials for operation under creep conditions and the related manufacture of products with improved performance are a result of the dynamic worldwide demand for new technologies, and recently also those related to environmental protection. The result of the above-mentioned conditions is the extensive investigations of the properties of new materials carried out by scientists and researchers all over the world. This mainly concerns the components working under the so-called creep conditions, which are characterised by a slow change in the shape of material due to the operation of mainly prolonged permanent stresses, which are lower than the elastic limit of material.

The first part of the book entitled "Creep" concerned the creep effect and research methods applied for materials working under creep conditions. The publication consists of 14 interesting chapters developed by well-known and respected researchers and specialists from different countries. The editors received a lot of positive signals and feedback about high interest in the first part of the book in the scientific community. They were given numerous suggestions to continue the work and not only gather the issues related to the creep effect in a single study but also present the information on the practical application of the discussed methods based on specific examples and technological solutions. This subject has relevance as a significant development of new materials in which the creep effect is a decisive factor for their durability within the design service life has been observed in recent years. Therefore, there is a great demand for knowledge of the actual performance of materials during and beyond the design service life. When continuing their work on the next part of the book, the editors were guided by the words of the great Pole, Stanislaw Staszic: "Science and skills become useful only when they are applied in practice for the public use."

To recapitulate, the book aims to provide readers, including but not limited to MSc and PhD students as well as research personnel and engineers involved in operation of power equipment, with the comprehensive information on changes in the performance of creep-resistant materials during service.

**3**

**Author details**

Adam Zieliński1

Technology, Gliwice, Poland

Częstochowa, Poland

provided the original work is properly cited.

, Marek Sroka2

1 Institute for Ferrous Metallurgy, Gliwice, Poland

\*Address all correspondence to: marek.sroka@polsl.pl

*Introductory Chapter: Creep - An Overview of New Research Results*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85477*

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

\*, Tomasz Tański2

2 Institute of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of

3 Institute of Materials Engineering, Czestochowa University of Technology,

and Grzegorz Golański3

*Introductory Chapter: Creep - An Overview of New Research Results DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85477*
