Effects of surface oxide layers on crack initiation and growth of HSLA steel under cyclic loading in air and in ultrahigh vacuum

Y. W. Chung*, W. J. Lee

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Effects of the thermally grown wustite on the fatigue crack initiation and growth in HSLA steel are evaluated as a function of oxide thickness, strain amplitude, and gaseous environment in the push-pull plastic strain control mode, with special attention being given to the early stage of microcrack initiation. Specimens with a wustite surface layer thermally grown to 0.2 and 0.6 μm thicknesses show predominantly intergranular cracking at plastic strain amplitudes of 5×10-4 and 1×10-3 both in air and in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), in contrast to the as-polished specimens where slip band cracking is the favoured mode. The cracking mode in the oxide layer is discussed in terms of the strain amplitude and the dislocation behaviour near the oxide/metal interface. The features of microcrack initiation in the oxide layer is not affected by the gaseous environment. Once, however, the surface oxide fractures, the rate of crack growth through the base metal is greatly reduced in UHV.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6370-6376
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Materials Science
Volume30
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1995

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • General Materials Science
  • Materials Science (miscellaneous)

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