X-ray fractography on fatigue fracture surface of high manganese austenitic steel
Akita Koichi; Kodama Shotaro; Saito Tetsuro; Misawa Hiroshi
Abstract:Fatigue tests were carried out under constant stress amplitude, using a non magnetic high manganese Mn-Cr steel. X-ray fractography was applied on the fatigue fractured surface to investigate the relationship between stress intensity factor and residual stress or half-value breadth of the X-ray diffraction profile. The fatigue crack propagation rate of this non-magnetic Mn-Cr steel had the same tendency as in the ordinary structural ferritic steels. The relationship between stress intensity factor and the residual stress or half-value breadth of the steel was almost the same as that of the ferritic cyclic work hardening steels. No stress induced transformation was observed on the fracture surface, but the residual stress on the fractured surface was compressive in the high stress intensity factors range, which is typical in the cyclic work hardening steels. The half-value breadth on the fractured surface increased with increasing effective stress intensity factor range. The relationship between the half-value breadth and stress intensity factor range was represented by a linear line regardless of the stress ratio. Therefore, the acting stress intensity factor range at the time of fracture can be estimated from the half-value breadth. The depth of monotonic plastic zone was estimated from the distribution of half-value breadth beneath the fractured surface. The relationship between the maximum stress intensity factor and half-value breadth was expressed by the equation wm = a(Kmax/sy)2, where the value of a was 0.025. This is about one sixth of the value for ferritic steels, and the fact shows the severe work hardening occurring in the plastic zone in this manganese steel. Key Words:high manganese steel, fatigue fractured surface, X-ray fractography, residual stress, stress intensity factor, plastic zone, cyclic hardening