Mechanical Properties

Elastic deformation
Plastic deformation
Fracture

Fatigue
Environmental crack growth

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Crack Instabilty
The critical crack length for given a
2

2 K Ic
ac = Q
a

T
a

Sources of the critical crack

Manufacturing defects

Crack growth in service

Fatigue
Corrosion (H-embrittlement)

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Crack Growth to Failure

Crack growth mechanisms

Fatigue (cyclic load)

Corrosive crack growth (hydrogen)

Initial feature

Characteristic pattern:
Initiating flaw

Defect or corrosion pit

Nucleated defect (fatigue)

Crack growth to critical size

Crack growth

Identify by characteristic fracture mode

Corrosion: often intergranular
Fatigue: beach marks, striations

Final failure at critical size

Unstable crack
propagation

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

Crack length a = ac
Crack mechanism = expected unstable mode
Usually ductile fracture

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Example: Failure of a
High-Strength Steel Spring in Seawater

ductile

intergranular

pit

Initiation at a corrosion pit

Significant 2nd stage growth
Intergranular mode

Final fracture at expected ac

Ductile mode

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Causes of Environmental Cracking

Aqueous corrosion

Anodic cracking: stress corrosion cracking

Cathodic cracking: hydrogen embrittlement

Gaseous embrittlement
Hydrogen
H2S

Liquid embrittlement
Acid
Caustic (base)
Liquid metal

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Corrosion Cracking of Steel

Anodic cracking (stress corrosion cracking)
Progressive cracking of passive films
Anodic dissolution
Passive film prevented by, for example, Cl Green rust

Hydrogen embrittlement
Hydrogen generated at crack tip

Cathodic cracking (hydrogen embrittlement)

Hydrogen charging
Plating (bake-out required)

Cathodic protection
Mg, Zn, Al creates Fe cathode
H liberated if acidic solution or oxygen depletion

H migrates to crack tip, caues embrittlement

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Environmental Fracture Toughness: 4340

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Crack Growth Velocity

Cr-Mo-V steel at RT

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Crack Growth Velocity in Hydrogen

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Fracture Surface SEM

SMB-30 (tested sea water with Mg, fractured at 30lb after 42mins)

Load

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Fracture Surface SEM

SMB-30 (tested sea water with Mg, fractured at 30lb after 42mins)

Area B

Area C

Area A

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

Area B

Area A

Area C

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Fractographs from 432

Intergranular fracture

Corrosion pit?

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Crack Propagation Mode

Note that fracture is mixed mode

High fraction of intergranular
Significant fraction of transgranular
Transgranular has feathery appearance

Need to appreciate fracture mode

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Fractographs of 12Ni-0.25Ti after heat

treatment and hydrogen charging
A Quenched and tempered
at 450C for 300 hrs.:
brittle intergranular
B As-quenched: brittle
transgranular
C Single spike reversion
to austenite: mixed mode
D Double spike reversion
to austenite, tempered at
450C for 300 hrs: ductile
rupture
MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Transgranular Hydrogen Embrittlement

Intergranular fracture sources
Contaminants on prior austenite grain boundaries
Hydrogen attracted to free surfaces

Transgranular embrittlement
Clean or roughened prior boundaries
Hydrogen promotes fracture across prior boundaries

Actual path: martensite lath boundaries

Hydrogen accumulates on lath boundaries
Crack follows boundaries across grain

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Lath Martensitic Steel

Packet
Block boundary
Aligned
substructure

Prior Austenite grain

20m

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Crystallographic Alignment in
Lath Martensitic Steel

500nm

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

500nm

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Transgranular Hydrogen Embrittlement

in Lath Martensitic Steel
Profile micrograph of
transpacket crack after
hydrogen embrittlement
Crack follows packet
boundaries, boundary
cracks connect with short
shear segments
5.5Ni steel, QT condition

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Fractographs of 12Ni-0.25Ti after heat

treatment and hydrogen charging
A Quenched and tempered
at 450C for 300 hrs.:
brittle intergranular
B As-quenched: brittle
transgranular
C Single spike reversion
to austenite: mixed mode
D Double spike reversion
to austenite, tempered at
450C for 300 hrs: ductile
rupture
MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Delayed Fracture
Hydrogen introduced into defect-free specimen
Defect-free means no K>KIH
Hydrogen sources
Electroplating (particularly Cd-plating)
Cathodic protection (particularly Mg)
Environment

Hydrogen diffuses to stress concentration

Common stress concentrations
Notches
Inclusions
Grain boundaries

Combination of stress and hydrogen produces K>KIH

Crack nucleation and propagation to embrittlement

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Time to Failure after Charging

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Corrosion Fatigue

Corrosion fatigue in X42 line pipe (low strength)

In nitrogen gas (a)

fatigue striations

mixed transgranular, intergranular

No obvious fatigue striations

In H2 (b):

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Corrosion Fatigue
Corrosion fatigue in sea
water

Sample from exemplar nut

Room temperature
Al protection
K ~ 25 ksiin

Fracture mode
Transgranular feathery
Secondary cracking

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Corrosion Fatigue
Corrosion fatigue in sea
water

Sample from exemplar nut

Room temperature
Al protection
K ~ 18 ksiin

Fracture mode
Transgranular feathery
Strong intergranular
component
MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Candidates: Corrosion Fatigue

Crack branching
Corrosion fatigue
A553B pressure vessel steel

Fracture mode
Transgranular
Branching from inclusions

- Wu and Kanada, NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Corrosion Fatigue

Corrosion fatigue of a hip implant

Compacted corrosion products on fracture

surface
Fatigue striations

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

J.W. Morris, Jr.

University of California, Berkeley

Corrosion fatigue in a subsea structure

MSE 200A
Fall, 2008

Thumbnail crack and beach marks on 432

Corrosion product dense on thumbnail crack surface

J.W. Morris, Jr.
University of California, Berkeley