A fully coupled chemo-mechanical cohesive zone model for oxygen embrittlement of nickel-based superalloys

• For nickel-based superalloys subjected to high temperatures and oxygen-rich environments, mechanical loading in combination with oxygen diffusion along grain boundaries leads to an acceleration of crack propagation. To account for these phenomena, a fully coupled thermodynamically consistent chemo-mechanical modeling framework for stress-assisted oxygen embrittlement of grain boundaries in polycrystals is proposed. We formulate an extended cohesive zone model where the grain boundary strength is reduced by the presence of oxygen and the oxygen diffusion is enhanced by tensile mechanical loading. We show that the model can qualitatively predict experimental results such as: reduction of ultimate tensile strength and accelerated crack growth due to dwell time combined with mechanical loading and saturation of crack growth rates for increasing environmental oxygen pressure levels. In addition, numerical simulation results of intergranular crack growth are shown for a 2D polycrystalline structure. An emphasis is put on the difference in cracking behavior after dwelling with or without mechanical loading.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Teknisk mekanik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Applied Mechanics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Annan materialteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Other Materials Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Metallurgi och metalliska material (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Metallurgy and Metallic Materials (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Stress-assisted oxidation

Grain boundaries

Intergranular fracture

Polycrystalline material

Crystal plasticity

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)