S0301-1-1 Effect of hydrogen on micromechanism of fatigue crack propagation

Abstract

The authors have previously observed a marked effect of hydrogen on cyclic slip behavior around a {110} fatigue crack tip in Fe-3.2wt.%Si alloy (Scripta Mater, 61(2009),145). In this study, a sustained load test is conducted to confirm the possible effect of hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC). The result shows that no HAC exists along the {110} plane, demonstrating that the observed effect of hydrogen is limited solely to the cyclic slip mechanism. Crack growth process is then further discussed.