Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Small fatigue crack growth characteristics and fracture surface morphology of low carbon steel in hydrogen gas

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Fracture Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Owing to energy conservation and environmental concerns, hydrogen has been suggested as a next-generation energy source. However, hydrogen known to seep into a metal, degrade its strength, and accelerate fatigue crack growth rates. We have investigated the effects of hydrogen gas on the small fatigue crack growth characteristics of low carbon steel JIS S10C by conducting bending fatigue tests on a specimen with a small blind hole and placed in a low-pressure hydrogen environment. The fatigue crack growth rate in hydrogen was higher than that in nitrogen. The fracture surface of the specimen in hydrogen showed intergranular facets in the low- growth-rate range and a quasi-cleavage fracture surface with brittle striations in the high-growth-rate range. The specimen only showed a ductile fracture surface for nitrogen. The small-fatigue-crack growth rate for nitrogen is given by \({dl/dN\propto \Delta \varepsilon_{p}^{n}l}\), where l, N, and \({\Delta \varepsilon_{p}}\) represent the crack length, number of repetitions, and plastic strain range, respectively. This equation was also satisfied for hydrogen, but only over a short strain range from \({\Delta \varepsilon_t = 0.25}\) to 0.37 % in which the fracture surface exhibited intergranular facets and a ductile morphology, but no quasi-cleavage fracture. The exponent n of the equation was 1.22 in nitrogen and 0.66 in hydrogen environment. The small-fatigue-crack growth law can be used for safe material designs in hydrogen environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bernstin IM, Thompson AW (1980) Hydrogen effects in metals. Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on effect of hydrogen on behavior of materials, Metall Soc AIME, USA, Wyoming, August 26–31

  • Birnbaum HK, Sofronis P (1994) Hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity—a mechanism for hydrogen-related fracture. Mater Sci Eng A 176: 192–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Booklet (2001) Special issue on recent advances in the engineering aspects of hydrogen embrittlement. Eng Fract Mech 68-6

  • Cotterill PJ, King JE (1993) The influence of a coal gasifier atmosphere on fatigue crack growth rates in BS 4360 steel. Int J Fatigue 15(1): 27–30

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • El Haddad MH, Dowling NE, Topper TH, Smith KN (1980) J integral applications for short fatigue cracks at notches. Int J Fract 16: 15–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fukuyama S, Yokogawa K, Kudo K (1983) Fatigue properties of SUS 304 stainless steel in high pressure hydrogen at room temperature. J Soc Mater Sci JAPAN 32–355: 82–86 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukuyama S, Han GK, He GH, Yokogawa K (1997) Effect of high pressure hydrogen gas on crack growth of carbon steel. J Soc Mater Sci JAPAN 46–6: 607–612 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Goto M (1991) Statistical investigation of the behaviour of microcracks in carbon steels. Fatigue Eng Mater 14: 833–845

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagihara A, Oda Y, Noguchi H (2007) Influence of testing frequency on fatigue crack growth of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy in hydrogen gas environment. Key Eng Mater 353-358: 174–177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hirth JP (1980) Effects of hydrogen on the properties of iron and steel. Metall Trans A 11: 861–890

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudak SJ Jr. (1981) Small crack behavior and the prediction of fatigue life. ASME 103: 26–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kawamoto K, Oda Y, Noguchi H, Higashida K (2007) Effects of hdrogen gas environment on fatigue crack growth of a stable austenitic stainless steel. J Solid Mech Mater Eng 263–274

  • Kitagawa H, Takahashi S, Suh CM, Miyashita S (1979) Quantitative analysis of fatigue process-microcracks and slip lines under cyclic strains. ASTM STP 675: 420–449

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuo AS, Liu HW (1976) An analysis of unzipping model for fatigue crack growth. Scripta Met 10–8: 723–728

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller KJ (1982) The short crack problem. Fatigue Eng Mater Struct 5: 223–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murakam Y, Harada S, Endo T, Tani-ishi H and Fukushima Y (1983) Correlations among growth law of small cracks, low-cycle fatigue law and applicability of miner’s rule. Eng Fract Mech 18–5: 909–924 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Murakami Y, Makabe C, Nisitani H (1984) Relationship between the low-cycle fatigue law and the growth law of small cracks in 70–30 Brass. Trans Jpn Soc Mech Eng A 50–459: 1828–1837 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisitani H (1981) Unifying treatment of fatigue crack growth laws in small, large and non-propagating cracks. Mech Fatigue AMD 47: 151–166

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nisitani H, Goto M (1987) A small crack growth law and its application to the evaluation of fatigue life. In: Miller KJ, de los Rios, ER (ed) Behavior of short fatigue cracks, Mech Eng Publishers pp 461–478

  • Nisitani H, Goto M, Kawagoisi N (1984) Effect of stress ratio on the propagation of small crack of plain specimens under high and low stress amplitudes: fatigue under axial loading of annealed 0.45 % C steel. Trans Jpn Soc Mech Eng A 50–453: 1090–1096 (in Japanese)

  • Nisitani H, Morimitsu T (1976) Estimation of crack propagating property by the rotating bending fatigue tests of specimens with a small hole. Bull Jpn Soc Mech Eng 19–136: 1091–1099

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann P (1969) Coarse slip model of fatigue. Acta Metall 17(9): 1219–1225

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann P (1974) New experiments concerning the slip processes at propagating fatigue cracks—I. Acta Metall 22-9: 1155–1165

    Google Scholar 

  • Oda Y, Noguchi H (2005) Observation of hydrogen effects on fatigue crack growth behaviour in an 18Cr-8Ni austenitic stainless steel. Int J Fract 132: 99–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie RO, Lankford J (1996) Small fatigue cracks: a statement of the problem and potential solution. Meter Sci Eng 84: 11–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suresh S, Ritchie RO (1984) Propagation of short fatigue cracks. Int Met Rev 29: 445–476

    Google Scholar 

  • Troiano AR (1960) The role of hydrogen and other interstitials in the mechanical behavior of metals. Trans Am Soc Met 52: 54–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshioka S, Demizu M, Kumasawa M, Hijikata A (1980) Effect of hydrogen gas environment on fatigue crack growth in Ni-Mo-V steels. J Soc Mater Sci JAPAN 29(321): 628–633 (in Japanese)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshioka S, Demizu M, Kumasawa M (1983) Fatigue crack growth behavior in hydrogen gas environment. J Soc Mater Sci JAPAN 32–355: 435–440 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

    Dongsun Lee & Hideaki Nishikawa

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

    Yasuji Oda & Hiroshi Noguchi

  3. The Research Center for Hydrogen Industrial Use and Storage (HYDROGENIOUS), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

    Yasuji Oda & Hiroshi Noguchi

Authors
  1. Dongsun Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hideaki Nishikawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yasuji Oda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hiroshi Noguchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hiroshi Noguchi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lee, D., Nishikawa, H., Oda, Y. et al. Small fatigue crack growth characteristics and fracture surface morphology of low carbon steel in hydrogen gas. Int J Fract 179, 147–156 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-012-9783-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-012-9783-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation