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Fatigue crack growth behavior in niobium-hydrogen alloys

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Abstract

Near-threshold fatigue crack growth behavior has been investigated in niobium-hydrogen alloys. Compact tension specimens (CTS) with three hydrogen conditions are used: hydrogen-free, hydrogen in solid solution, and hydride alloy. The specimens are fatigued at a temperature of 296 K and load ratios of 0.05, 0.4, and 0.75. The results at load ratios of 0.05 and 0.4 show that the threshold stress intensity range (ΔK th ) decreases as hydrogen is added to niobium. It reaches a minimum at the critical hydrogen concentration (C cr ), where maximum embrittlement occurs. The critical hydrogen concentration is approximately equal to the solubility limit of hydrogen in niobium. As the hydrogen concentration exceeds C cr , ΔK th increases slowly as more hydrogen is added to the specimen. At load ratio 0.75, ΔK th decreases continuously as the hydrogen concentration is increased. The results provide evidence that two mechanisms are responsible for fatigue crack growth behavior in niobium-hydrogen alloys. First, embrittlement is retarded by hydride transformation-induced and plasticity-induced crack closures. Second, embrittlement is enhanced by the presence of hydrogen and hydride.

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Abbreviations

C :

solubility limit, ppm wt

C 0 :

hydrogen concentration, ppm wt

C cr :

critical concentration at maximum embrittlement, ppm wt

da/dN :

fatigue crack growth rate, m/cycle

ΔK :

stress intensity range, MN/m3/2

ΔK eff :

effective stress intensity range, MN/m3/2

ΔK eff,th :

effective threshold stress intensity range, MN/m3/2

ΔK th :

threshold stress intensity range, MN/m3/2

(ΔK th )min :

minimum threshold stress intensity range, MN/m3/2

R :

load ratio

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Author notes

  1. Mark Ching-Cheng Lin (Graduate Student, Research Scientist)

    Present address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Hsinchu City, Taiwan, Republic of China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Research Laboratoires, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu City, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Mark Ching-Cheng Lin (Graduate Student, Research Scientist)

  2. The Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, 77204-4792, Houston, TX

    K. Salama (Professor)

Authors
  1. Mark Ching-Cheng Lin
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  2. K. Salama
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Lin, M.CC., Salama, K. Fatigue crack growth behavior in niobium-hydrogen alloys. Metall Mater Trans A 28, 2059–2065 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-997-0162-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-997-0162-y

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