Abstract
The effect of aging condition on fatigue properties and the mechanism of decrease in fatigue strength in high humidity in 18% Ni maraging steel of grade 350 were investigated under rotating bending in relative humidity of 25% and 85%. Aging conditions investigated were under-, peak- and over-aging ones at the conventional aging temperature of 753K. In addition, double-aging treatments which were under- peak- and over-aging treatments at 673K and under-aging one at 473K after the peak-aging at 753K were also examined. Both of static and fatigue strengths were increased by the double-aging without any decrease in ductility and fatigue fracture toughness. Fatigue strength was markedly decreased by high humidity in all of the steels, and the decrease in fatigue strength was mainly caused by the accelerations of crack initiation and its growth at the early stage of fatigue process. The decrease in fatigue strength in high humidity was also suppressed by the double aging. A few facets comparable to a grain size of a prior austenite were observed at the fracture origins in high humidity but transgranular cracks by slip deformation were in low humidity. However most of the fracture surfaces were covered with lath boundary cracking regardless of the humidity and aging conditions. River pattern was observed in the facets, suggesting that the acceleration of crack growth in high humidity was a behavior related to hydrogen generated in cathode reaction. Based on the results, new aging treatment for improvement of fatigue properties of maraging steel was proposed.
