Creep behavior can be split into three main stages. In primary, or transient, creep, the strain rate is a function of time. In Class M materials, which include most pure materials, strain rate decreases over time. This can be due to increasing dislocation density, or it can be due to evolving grain size. In class A materials, which have large amounts of solid solution hardening, strain rate increases over time due to a thinning of solute drag atoms as dislocations move.