The Deformation of Gold Wire at High Temperature

Gold wires were subjected to small tensile stresses at high temperatures and the strain-time relationships were determined. These creep curves were similar to those generally obtained for metals at lower temperatures, except that the minimum creep rate was proportional to the applied stress; i.e., the flow was viscous. This coefficient of viscosity was determined as well as its variation with temperature. The surface energy of solid gold was also determined. Theories that have been presented to explain the viscous behavior of metals are briefly discussed.