EXACT SOLUTION FOR THE ZERO CREEP LOAD OF A WIRE

The exact solution for the zero creep load of a wire with bamboo grain structure and isotropic free surface and grain boundary tensions is p resented. The grains in the wire are modeled as rotationally symmetric about the wire axis, with a smoothly varying radius. This replaces th e standard assumption of cylindrical grains whose constant radius is i nconsistent with experimentally observed grain boundary grooves. The p roblem is also mapped onto the problem of a droplet between two rigid plates, for which a solution already exists.