Abstract: Most of the assessment equations for Ct which is a wellknown fracture parameter characterizing high temperature crack growth rates, have limited applicability to constant load conditions after sudden loading. However, crack growth due to creep can also occur under load varying conditions when load rising time is so long that accumulated creep deformation near the crack tip is not negligible.In this paper, the estimation equation of the Ctparameter which can be applied to the case of slow load rising, i.e., (Ct)r, is explained. And the correlation between (Ct)r at the end of the load increasing period and Ct at the beginning of the succeeding load hold period is discussed. Finite element analyses of several cases with various loading conditions were performed and results were presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed Ct estimation scheme. The general applicability of the equation is also discussed.

Key words: creep, fatigue, crack, time dependent fracture mechanics, Ctparameter, C*integral