Effect of nanosized NbC precipitates on hydrogen-induced cracking of high-strength low-alloy steel

We investigated the effect of nanosized NbC precipitates on hydrogen-induced cracking(HIC)of high-strength low-alloy steel by conducting slow-strain-rate tensile tests(SSRT)and performing continuous hydrogen charging and fracture analysis.The results reveal that the HIC resistance of Nb-bearing steel is obviously superior to that of Nb-free steel,with the fractured Nb-bearing steel in the SSRT exhibiting a smaller ratio of elongation reduction(Iδ).However,as the hydrogen traps induced by NbC precipitates approach hydrogen saturation,the effect of the precipitates on the HIC resistance attenuate.We speculate that the highly dispersed nanosized NbC precipitates act as irreversible hydrogen traps that hinder the accumulation of hydrogen at potential crack nucleation sites.In addition,much like Nb-free steel,the Nb-bearing steel exhibits both H-solution strengthening and the resistance to HIC.

Hydrogen-induced cracking behaviors of Incoloy alloy 825

The effect of hydrogen on the fractttre behaviors of Incoloy alloy 825 was investigated by means of slow strain rate testing （SSRT） Hydrogen was introduced into the sample by electrochemical charging. The results show that surface microcracks form gradually during ag- ing at room temperature when desorption of hydrogen takes place after hydrogen charging at a current density of 5 mA/cm^2 for 24 h. SSRT shows that the increase of ductility loss is significantly obvious as the hydrogen charging current density increases. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） images reveal ductile fracture in the pre-charged sample with low current densities, while the fracture includes small quasi-cleavage regions and tends to be brittle fracture as the hydrogen charging current density increases to 5 mA/cm^2.

Investigation on hydrogen-induced cracking susceptibility of HG980D steel with yield strength 900 MPa

In this paper, the microstructure and hardness of HG980D heat-affected zone （HAZ） at different cooling rate t8/3 were studied, the implant critical fracture stress under three diffusible hydrogen conditions were measured, and the hydrogeninduced cracking （H1C） fructograph of steel HG980D were analyzed, The experimental results show that martensite exists in HAZ of HG980D till ts/3 ≥ 150 s, the harden quenching tendency of HG980D is greater; The implant critical fracture stress is related to difJhsible hydrogen content significantly, at low hydrogen level, high restraint stress is needed to nucleate HIC, the fraetograph is mainly mierovoid coalescence, bat at high hydrogen level, only small restraint stress can cause H1C occurrence, the fractograph is mainly quasicleavage. It is very important to choose ultra-low hydrogen welding consumable to weld steel HG980D to prevent hydrogen-induced cracking.

Threshold Stress Intensity of Hydrogen-Induced Cracking and Stress Corrosion Cracking of High Strength Steel

The threshold stress intensity of stress corrosion cracking(SCC) for 40 CrMo steel in 3.5%NaCl solution decreased exponentially with the increase of yield strength.The threshold stress intensity of hydrogen-induced cracking during dynamical charging for 40 CrMo steel decreased linearly with the logarithm of the concentration of diffusible hydrogen.This equation was also applicable to SCC of high strength steel in aqueous solution.The critical hydrogen enrichment concentration necessary for SCC of high strength steel in water decreased exponentially with the increase of yield strength.Based on the results,the relationship between K_(ISCC) and σ_(ys) could be deduced.

Controlling delayed cracks in welded joints of MCQTT steel by welding with trailing impacting and rolling

30CrMnSi, one kind of the medium-carbon quenching and tempering steel（ MCQTT） , has been widely utilized in some industrial fields. However, just like some other MCQTT, this kind of steel also faces such problem as delayed cracking in its welded joints. In this paper, the delayed cracking and microstructure of the joints of 30CrMnSi steel were researched by SEM. Moreover, a method called welding with trailing impacting and rolling （WTIR） was utilized to solve the delayed cracking problem by decreasing the residual welding stress in the joint of 30CrMnSi. The crack-free joints of 30CrMnSi steel were obtained by using optimized parameters.

Surface crack imaging based on delayed temperature difference at symmetric points by laser spot thermography

Laser spot thermography is a novel technique for the detection of surface cracks with a laser to heat sample locally and with an IR camera to record the surface temperature distribution. Common methods to characterize cracks are only suitable for the situation that the laser scanning path is vertical to the crack. But due to the randomness of cracks,when the scanning path is parallel to the crack,surface cracks cannot be detected by these methods. To tackle this problem,a method is presented which is suitable for the situation that the scanning path is parallel to crack. The main idea is to evaluate the crack-caused asymmetries of the surface temperature distribution. The effect of temperature gradient and the maximum scanning interval are analyzed by a 2D simulation. A new crack imaging technique is presented that is based on delayed temperature difference at symmetric points to characterize the crack in the thermal image. Compared well with those obtained by the spatial first derivative method,experimental results are shown to efficiently prove this method.

Propagation and Coalescence of Blast-Induced Cracks in PMMA Material Containing an Empty Circular Hole Under Delayed Ignition Blasting Load by Using the Dynamic Caustic Method

In this paper,dynamic caustic method is applied to analyze the blast-induced crack propagation and distribution of the dynamic stress field around an empty circular hole in polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA)material under delayed ignition blasting loads.The following experimental results are obtained.(1)In directional-fracture-controlled blasting,the dynamic stress intensity factors(DSIFs)and the propagation paths of the blast-induced cracks are obviously influenced by the delayed ignition.(2) The circular hole situated between the two boreholes poses a strong guiding effect on the coelesence of the cracks,causing them to propagate towards each other when cracks are reaching the circular hole area.(3)Blast-induced cracks are not initiated preferentially because of the superimposed effect from the explosive stress waves on the cracking area.(4) By using the scanning electron microscopy(SEM)method,it is verified that the roughness of crack surfaces changes along the crack propagation paths.

Influence of inclusions on hydrogen-induced delayed cracking in hot stamping steels

The hydrogen-induced delayed cracking(HIDC)behaviors of two types of 1500 MPa grade hot stamping steels(HSSs)have been investigated by the method of slow strain rate tensile test and hydrogen permeation,where one is manufactured by compact strip production(CSP)process which is a revolution to the traditional HSS and the other by the traditional cold rolling process.The results show that the performance of HSS produced by CSP is superior to that of the traditional HSS,due to lower hydrogen embrittlement index,lower hydrogen diffusion coefficient and lower hydrogen content.It has been found that HIDC behavior is closely associated with inclusions.The inclusions of HSS produced by CSP are mainly spherical Al-Ca-O and CaS,while the inclusions in the traditional HSS are TiN+AI2O3+MnS with sharp edges and corners.Based on these results,the influence of composition,shape and distribution of inclusions in HSS on HIDC and the mechanism of HIDC from the perspective of inclusions were analyzed and discussed.

Hydrogen-enhanced dislocation emission, motion and nucleation of hydrogen-induced cracking for steel

The change in dislocation configuration ahead of a loaded crack tip before and after charging with hydrogen was in situ investigated in TEM using a special constant deflection loading device The results showed that hydrogen could facilitate dislocation emission, multiplication and motion The change in displacement field ahead of a loaded notch tip for a bulk specimen before and after charging with hydrogen was in situ measured by the laser moire interferometer technique. The results showed that hydrogen could enlarge the plastic zone and increase the plastic strain The in situ observation in TEM showed that when hydrogen-enhanced dislocation emission and motion reached a critical condition, a nanocrack of hydrogen-induced cracking ( HIC) would nucleate in the dislocation-free zone (DFZ) or at the main crack tip. The reasons for hydrogen-enhanced dislocation emission, multiplication and motion, and the mechanisms of nucleation of HIC have been discussed

Synergistic effects of Nb and Mo on hydrogen-induced cracking of pipeline steels:A combined experimental and numerical study

The synergistic effects of Nb and Mo on hydrogen-induced cracking(HIC)of pipeline steels were studied experimentally and numerically.The results showed that Mo was primarily segregated at grain-boundaries(GBs)or solid-dissolved in the matrix,while most Nb and a small amount of Mo formed dis-persed(Nb,Mo)C nano-precipitates and refined the microstructure.Compared with Nb alloying,the multi-ple additions of Nb-Mo played dual roles in affecting H diffusion:primarily,the H-traps densities such as GBs,precipitates,and solute Mo atoms increased,providing an advantage;however,Mo slightly reduced the H-trapping capacity of precipitates,playing an adverse role.Nonetheless,the beneficial effects far outweighed the adverse effects,thereby reducing H diffusivity and inhibiting crack initiation.Addition-ally,Nb and Mo hindered crack propagation synergistically as follows:(i)Mo enhanced GB cohesion by repelling H,impeding intergranular cracking and hydrogen-enhanced decohesion(HEDE);(ii)Nb reduced the proportion of3/high-angle grain boundaries,increasing cracking resistance;(iii)(Nb,Mo)C precip-itates impeded H-dislocation interactions,reducing the hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity(HELP).

Hydrogen-induced cracking by nanovoids in 310 stainless steel

Hydrogen-induced cracking was investigated by TEM in-situ tension in hydrogenated stainless steel of type 310. It was found experimentally that hydrogen-induced cracking happens via nanovoid nucleation followed by quasi-cleavage along {111} planes when C H is higher. Otherwise, in the case of lower C H, hydrogen enhances ductile fracture via hydrogen-enhanced microvoid nucleation, growth and connection. A new model was proposed based on the present experiments. Dislocations break away from defect atmospheres and move away from the DFZ, leaving vacancy and hydrogen clusters along {111} planes. Hydrogen tends to combine with vacancy clusters and initiate nanovoids along {111} planes. Dense nanovoids connect each other, resulting in brittle cracking. Scattered nanovoids grow into microvoids or even macrovoids, leading to ductile fracture.

Hydrogen-induced cracking and its anisotropy of a PZT ferroelectric ceramics

Threshold stress intensity factor of hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC), K IH, of a lead zirconate titanate ferroelectric ceramics (PZT-5) has been measured during dynamic charging with various current densities at constant load using notched tensile specimens with poling direction parallel or perpendicular to the crack plane. The results show that K IH reveals anisotropy, and the threshold stress intensity factor for the specimen with poling direction parallel to the crack plane, K IH a , is greater than that perpendicular to the crack plane, K IH b , similar to the anisotropy of fracture toughness, K IC. The normalized threshold stress intensity factor of HIC, however, does not reveal anisotropy, and decreass linearly with logarithm of hydrogen concentration, C o, i.e. K IH a /K IC a =K IH b /K IC b =0.4?0.15 In C o. Therefore, the anisotropy of HIC is the same as that of the fracture toughness, and is due to the anisotropy of the stress-induced 90° domain switching.

Mechanism of Rock Dynamic Delay Fracture Under High Impact

Through the theory and experiment studies on rock dynamic fracture the limit strain is used as the optimum criterion of rock cracking. The main reasons of dynamic delay fracture are the relativity of rock dynamic response with the strain rate and its lower tensile strength. The relation of yielding strain with over-stress impulse and the mechanism of tensile cracking are analysed.

Effects of Niobium and Vanadium on Hydrogen-Induced Delayed Fracture in High Strength Spring Steel

Influence of vanadium and/or niobium additions on delayed fracture behavior in high strength spring steel was studied by hydrogen permeation method and slow strain rate technique （8SRT）, and its mechanism was analyzed. The results show that apparent diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in microalloyed spring steels Nb-V-steel and Nb-steel is lower than that in non-microalloyed steel 60Si2MnA. Percentage of strength reduction in SSRT in air after precharged hydrogen of the microalloyed steels is smaller than that of 60Si2MnA. Addition of the microalloys changes the fracture characteristics. Thence, vanadium and/or niobium additions are a very effective and economy means to improve the hydrogen-induced delayed fracture resistance of high strength spring steel.

Hydrogen-induced delayed fracture of Cu-containing high-strength bolt steel

The hydrogen-induced delayed fracture(HIDF)behavior of a 1300-MPa-grade high-strength bolt steel 42CrMoV containing 0.42 wt.%Cu was investigated by constant load tensile test in a pH 3.5 Walpole solution.It is shown that the addition of Cu is beneficial to enhance the HIDF resistance by~13%.The observation of the fracture surface revealed that the area fraction of brittle crack initiation zone decreased remarkably for the Cu-added steel.Both the corrosion pit depth and the corrosion rate of the Cu-added steel in the Walpole solution are notably decreased,which is primarily because of the formation of a Cu-rich protective compact rust layer and slightly higher corrosion potential.As a result,the absorbed hydrogen content in that solution was also decreased by~21%.It is concluded that the improvement in the HIDF resistance of the tested steel is primarily due to the increase in corrosion resistance and resultant decrease in the absorbed diffusible hydrogen content in the acidic condition.

The role of atomic hydrogen and hydrogen-induced martensites in hydrogen embrittlement of type 304L stainless steel

The role of atomic hydrogen and hydrogen-induced martensites in hydrogen embrittlement in slow strain rate tensile tests and hydrogen-induced delayed cracking (HIC) in sustained load tests for type 304 L stainless steel was quantitatively studied. The results indicated that hydrogen-induced martensites formed when hydrogen concentration C 0 exceeded 30 ppm, and increased with an increase in C 0, i.e. M(vol%)=62–82.5 exp (?C 0/102). The relative plasticity loss caused by the martensites increased linearly with increasing amount of the martensites, i.e. l δ(M), %=0.45 M (vol %)=27.9?37.1 exp(?C0/102). The plasticity loss caused by atomic hydrogen l δ(H) increased with an increase in C 0 and reached a saturation value l δ(H)max=40% when C 0>100 ppm. l δ(H) decreased with an increase in strain rate $\dot \varepsilon $ , i.e. l δ(H), $\% = - 21.9 - 9.9\dot \varepsilon $ , and was zero when $\dot \varepsilon \geqslant \dot \varepsilon _c = 0.032/s$ . HIC under sustained load was due to atomic hydrogen, and the threshold stress intensity for HIC decreased linearly with in C 0, i.e. K IH (Mpam1/2)=91.7?10.1 In C 0 (ppm). The fracture surface of HIC was dimple if K 1 was high or/and C 0 was low, otherwise it was quasi-cleavage. The boundary line between ductile and brittle fracture surface was K 1-54+25exp(?C 0/153)=0.

IN-SITU ELECTRON MICROSCOPY STUDY ON PRECIPITATION OF ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDES INDUCED BY STRESS AND STRAIN IN ZIRCALOY-2

The precipitation process of zirconium hydrides induced by stress and strain was investigated by means of electron microscopy in-situ.The precipitating hydrides induced by stress were found to be γ phase with orientation relationship of (110)_γ‖(110)_(αZr),(001)_γ‖ (0001)_(αZr) between γ-hydrides and surrounding matrix.The growth rate of γ-hydrides which was much faster along [110] direction brought them in taper shape.After fracture of y-hydrides,a new one will precipitate at the tip of cracks.This is the essential process of hydrogen-induced delayed cracking in Zircaloy.The precipitating hydrides induced by strain were found to be δ phase with both orientation relationships of(111)_δ‖(0001)_(αZr),(110)_δ‖ (110)_(αZr) or (010)_δ‖(0001)_(αZr),(001)_δ‖(110)_(αZr)between δ-hydride and surrounding matrix.The δ-hydrides become much finer as the strain rate increased.

The relevance of Niobium microalloying in dual phase steels with optimized mechanical properties

Dual phase steel is nowadays widely applied in automotive construction as hot rolled and cold rolled HDG grades.The strength and elongation of DP steels are principally determined by the ratio of ferrite and marteniste in the microstructure.However,for practical forming in the press shop additional properties are important such as bendability and hole expansion ratio.These characteristics relate to the morphology and distribution of the phases in the microstructure.Niobium microalloying can influence not only the strength of DP steels but also particularly the phase morphology and homogeneity leading to significant improvement of the mechanical properties.The paper will show processing strategies involving Nb microalloying in DP steel production.The metallurgical mechanisms induced by Nb are discussed.This is also related to damage mechanisms occurring in DP steel during forming or application.Particularly the issue of delayed fracturing in ultra high strength DP steel will be addressed.

The Effect of Loading Rates on Crack Dynamic Behavior Under Medium-Low Speed Impacts

Rock structures are often subjected to dynamic loads,such as blasts,impacts and earthquakes,and their loading rates differ largely.To investigate the effect of loading rates on the dynamic behavior of crack propagation,impact tests were conducted on large single-cleavage semicircle compression(LSCSC)specimens using a drop weight impact test system.Five types of rock materials were selected to prepare the LSCSC specimens,and crack propagation gauges were mounted along the crack propagation paths to measure crack initiation time and propagation speeds.Finite element models were established by using ABAQUS code,and the dynamic stress intensity factors(SIFs)were calculated.The curves of dynamic SIFs versus time were obtained,and the initiation toughness was determined by using these curves and the initiation time measured in the impact tests.The results show that loading rate has a significant effect on crack propagation behavior,and both the crack propagation speed and initiation toughness increase with the loading rate,whereas the delayed fracture time decreases with the increase in loading rate.

Failure Analysis of Aviation Torsional Springs

Cracks and fractures occur during the assembly process to a type of torsional springs used in the aviation mechanism. Besides visual examination, other experimental techniques used for the investigation are： 1） fracture characteristics, damage morphology and fractography by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, 2） spectrum analysis of covering, 3） metallographic observation of cracks and 4） hydrogen content testing. The results are obtained through the analysis of manufacture process and experimental data. Since no changes of microstructure are found, failures are irrelevant to the material. The cracks and fractures initiate on the inner surface, cracks initiate before the cadmium plating and after the winding. No obvious stress corrosion cracks are found near the crack source region. The opening direction of cracks is consistent with the residual tensile stress of the spring inner surface, and the springs are easy to contact hydrogen media between the spring winding and the cadmium plating. The cracks are caused by hydrogen-induced delayed cracking under the action of the residual tensile stress and hydrogen.