Fracture Characteristics of Two High-Strength, Low-Alloy and Two Stainless Steels

Abstract

The fracture characteristics of two high-strength, low-alloy structural steels (ASTM A-588 and A-242) and two stainless steels (AISI 416 and 17-4PH) were analyzed under tensile, fatigue, and impact loading conditions. The effects of hydrogen- and temper-embrittlement on the materials' behavior when fractured under tensile and fatigue conditions were investigated. The structural steels were found to be unsusceptible to temper-embrittlement. ASTM A-588 was found to be susceptible to hydrogen-embrittlement; A-242 was not found susceptible, but this could be attributed to the abnormally low toughness condition of the as-received material. The stainless steels were found to be unsusceptible to the hydrogen-charging procedure performed in this study. Mechanical tests showed large variations in values for the tempered stainless steeel specimens, although the fracture surfaces appeared very similar. These findings reaffirmed the generally accepted concept that visual observation is not a sufficient method for determining temper-embrittlement, but must be combined with mechanical testing to reach valid conclusions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1977
Accession Number
ADA035629

Entities

People

  • E. P. Cox
  • Joseph K. Scott

Organizations

  • Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alloys
  • Chemistry
  • Crack Propagation
  • Crystal Structure
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Fracture (Mechanics)
  • Grain Boundaries
  • Heat Treatment
  • Hydrogen Embrittlement
  • Iron
  • Materials
  • Materials Science
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanics
  • Solid Solutions
  • Stainless Steel

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Materials Science (Mechanical Engineering).
  • Metallurgy
  • Theoretical Analysis.