The Role of Grain Boundary Character in Hydrogen Embrittlement of Nickel-iron Superalloys

The Role of Grain Boundary Character in Hydrogen Embrittlement of Nickel-iron Superalloys PDF Author: John Paul Hanson (Ph. D.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Hydrogen embrittlement of engineering alloys is characterized by a loss of ductility and unpredictable failure. These failures affect numerous industries, including nuclear power, oil and gas exploration, and hydrogen transportation and storage. In face-centered cubic alloys, the resultant fracture is intergranular and very sensitive to grain boundary character. We study this behavior in alloy 725, a popular nickel-iron superalloy with high strength and corrosion resistance. Using a suite of complementary experimental techniques we reveal the fracture behavior of individual grain boundaries in hydrogen embrittlement for the first time, providing critical understanding of the role of grain boundary character and informing improved microstructure design. We study crack propagation in hydrogen embrittled tensile test specimens using highenergy diffraction-microscopy, a non-destructive X-ray synchrotron technique capable of mapping grain boundaries in 3-D. We find that boundaries with low-index planes (BLIPs), defined as planes within 10° of [111], [110] or [100], resist crack propagation and improve toughness. We show that coherent twin boundaries (CTBs), a subset of BLIPs, also indirectly improve toughness by increasing the heterogeneity of the grain boundaries they intersect. In addition, we use electron backscatter diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to identify the grain boundaries along which cracks initiate and propagate on the sample surface. We unambiguously show that grain boundaries are the source of crack initiation, and we study a statistically significant number of cracking events, providing the ability to determine the role of grain boundary character. Surprisingly, we find that while CTBs resist crack propagation, they preferentially initiate cracks. These results inform a more nuanced approach to microstructure design. Typically grain boundary engineering techniques aim to maximize the fraction of low-S boundaries as designated by the coincident site lattice model. Our results suggest that these techniques should maximize the fraction of BLIPs instead. In addition, the dual nature of CTBs suggests the development of graded microstructures, with high concentrations of CTBs in the interior to resist crack propagation and reduced concentrations at the surface to limit crack initiation.

The Role of Grain Boundary Character in Hydrogen Embrittlement of Nickel-iron Superalloys

The Role of Grain Boundary Character in Hydrogen Embrittlement of Nickel-iron Superalloys PDF Author: John Paul Hanson (Ph. D.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Hydrogen embrittlement of engineering alloys is characterized by a loss of ductility and unpredictable failure. These failures affect numerous industries, including nuclear power, oil and gas exploration, and hydrogen transportation and storage. In face-centered cubic alloys, the resultant fracture is intergranular and very sensitive to grain boundary character. We study this behavior in alloy 725, a popular nickel-iron superalloy with high strength and corrosion resistance. Using a suite of complementary experimental techniques we reveal the fracture behavior of individual grain boundaries in hydrogen embrittlement for the first time, providing critical understanding of the role of grain boundary character and informing improved microstructure design. We study crack propagation in hydrogen embrittled tensile test specimens using highenergy diffraction-microscopy, a non-destructive X-ray synchrotron technique capable of mapping grain boundaries in 3-D. We find that boundaries with low-index planes (BLIPs), defined as planes within 10° of [111], [110] or [100], resist crack propagation and improve toughness. We show that coherent twin boundaries (CTBs), a subset of BLIPs, also indirectly improve toughness by increasing the heterogeneity of the grain boundaries they intersect. In addition, we use electron backscatter diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to identify the grain boundaries along which cracks initiate and propagate on the sample surface. We unambiguously show that grain boundaries are the source of crack initiation, and we study a statistically significant number of cracking events, providing the ability to determine the role of grain boundary character. Surprisingly, we find that while CTBs resist crack propagation, they preferentially initiate cracks. These results inform a more nuanced approach to microstructure design. Typically grain boundary engineering techniques aim to maximize the fraction of low-S boundaries as designated by the coincident site lattice model. Our results suggest that these techniques should maximize the fraction of BLIPs instead. In addition, the dual nature of CTBs suggests the development of graded microstructures, with high concentrations of CTBs in the interior to resist crack propagation and reduced concentrations at the surface to limit crack initiation.

The Effect of Li, He and Ca on Grain Boundary Cohesive Strength in Ni

The Effect of Li, He and Ca on Grain Boundary Cohesive Strength in Ni PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Boron is added to nickel-base superalloys such as Alloy X-750 in order to enhance high temperature strength and ductility so that the alloy may be more easily hot worked[1]. Boron additions also have been shown to ameliorate intergranular hydrogen embrittlement in nickel[2], and to improve the high temperature resistance of Alloy X-750 to aqueous stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in the absence of irradiation[3]. Recent quantum mechanical calculations demonstrate that boron strengthens grain boundaries in pure nickel[4], and may contribute to the observed benefits of boron on workability and fracture resistance of nickel alloys. Alloy X-750 exhibits greater susceptibility to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) when irradiated[5], and it has been proposed that the presence of grain boundary helium and/or lithium is responsible. Arguments have been advanced that helium embrittlement of the grain boundaries is primarily responsible for the greater observed susceptibility to IGSCC in irradiated X-750[1]. Alternatively, it has been proposed that lithium promotes IGSCC either by entering the water at the crack tip and lowering the local pH, or by inducing a restructuring of the grain boundary itself[1]. Direct embrittlement of grain boundaries by lithium also has been investigated by ion bombardment in Nimonic PE16, illustrating that under certain conditions lithium can produce degrees of embrittlement in nickel comparable to that produced by helium[6]. It is important to understand the relative roles of these species in grain boundary embrittlement in nickel alloys so that better predictive abilities and mitigation strategies can be developed. Toward that end, quantum mechanical calculations have been performed to investigate the influence of isolated lithium and helium atoms on the cohesive strength of an ideal grain boundary in pure nickel.

Hydrogen Embrittlement of Iron-Nickel Alloys

Hydrogen Embrittlement of Iron-Nickel Alloys PDF Author: W. Y. Chu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 23

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Book Description
In many alloy systems, hydrogen embrittlement under relatively high fugacity conditions occurs by intergranular fracture. One of these is the iron nickel alloy system which exhibits intergranular hydrogen related fracture when tested with a high supersaturation of solute hydrogen or while being cathodically charged with hydrogen. The results obtained on this alloy system indicate that the hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility decreases as the iron concentration of the alloy increased. These early measurements contained no information about the grain boundary chemistry and it is known that the effects of hydrogen are generally sensitive to the concentrations of other elements at grain boundaries. One particular element, sulphur, is known to increase the susceptibility of nickel alloys and fe alloys to hydrogen embrittlement although the mechanism of this increased susceptibility is not known. (JES).

Grain Boundary Diffusion of Hydrogen and the Embrittlement of Nickel

Grain Boundary Diffusion of Hydrogen and the Embrittlement of Nickel PDF Author: Thomas Miller Harris
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aeronautics
Languages : en
Pages : 1134

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Further Observations on the Effect of Grain Boundary Segregation in the Hydrogen Embrittlement of Nickel

Further Observations on the Effect of Grain Boundary Segregation in the Hydrogen Embrittlement of Nickel PDF Author: R. M. Latanision
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 11

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Book Description
Earlier work has shown an association between the intergranular embrittlement of nickel by hydrogen and the presence of hydrogen recombination poisons at the grain boundaries. The present effort demonstrates that the susceptibility of nickel to embrittlement may be controlled by heat treatment sequences which affect the partitioning of impurities. It is also suggested that the association between impurities and microchemistry may apply in part as well as to the temper embrittlement of steels. (Author).

The Contribution of the Grain Boundary Engineering to the Problem of Intergranular Hydrogen Embrittlement

The Contribution of the Grain Boundary Engineering to the Problem of Intergranular Hydrogen Embrittlement PDF Author: Jiaqi Li
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The mobility of hydrogen in metals is a key parameter for understanding the basic mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement (HE). This problem is directly related to the mechanisms of diffusion and trapping of hydrogen within a crystal lattice. These mechanisms depend on the various microstructural heterogeneities and in particular the crystalline defects. In our work, we have focused on the diffusion and trapping of hydrogen in two elementary systems: nickel single crystals and bi-crystals. We developed a methodology combining experimental tools (electrochemical permeation / TDS, HRTEM, EBSD) and numerical methods (FEM-COMSOL / EAM-LAMMPS). The results obtained on the single crystals show a dependence of the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen with the crystallographic orientation and the hydrogen content. The thermodynamic analysis of the nickel-hydrogen-vacancy system shows a dependence of the chemical potential of hydrogen with the stress state induced by the formation of clusters of vacancies associated with the presence of hydrogen. The anisotropic character of the diffusion is then explained by the anisotropy of the elastic properties of the crystal lattice and the presence of these clusters. Moreover, we have characterized the processes of diffusion and trapping of hydrogen for nickel bi-crystals with different free volumes. The segregation energy of hydrogen depends on the nature of the site (the local free volume and the mechanical energy associated with the incorporation of solute). The diffusion of hydrogen is directly influenced by the nature of the grain boundary (the free volume and the distribution of the segregation sites). Our results, at the atomic scale, show a correlation between the solubility and the free volume of the grain boundary. The grain boundaries with a higher free volume have more favorable diffusion paths for hydrogen than in the crystal lattice and at the same time more segregation sites.

Grain Boundary Segregation in Metals

Grain Boundary Segregation in Metals PDF Author: Pavel Lejcek
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642125050
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
Grain boundaries are important structural components of polycrystalline materials used in the vast majority of technical applications. Because grain boundaries form a continuous network throughout such materials, their properties may limit their practical use. One of the serious phenomena which evoke these limitations is the grain boundary segregation of impurities. It results in the loss of grain boundary cohesion and consequently, in brittle fracture of the materials. The current book deals with fundamentals of grain boundary segregation in metallic materials and its relationship to the grain boundary structure, classification and other materials properties.

Traction-separation Relationships for Hydrogen-induced Grain Boundary Embrittlement in Nickel Via Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Traction-separation Relationships for Hydrogen-induced Grain Boundary Embrittlement in Nickel Via Molecular Dynamics Simulations PDF Author: Wesley Allen Barrows
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781321959956
Category : Fracture mechanics
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
The deleterious effects of atomic and molecular hydrogen on the mechanical properties of metals have long been observed. Although several theories exist describing the mechanisms by which hydrogen negatively influences the failure of materials, a consensus has yet to be reached regarding the exact mechanism or combination of mechanisms. Two mechanisms have gained support in explaining hydrogen's degradative role in non-hydride forming metals: hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity and hydrogen-enhanced decohesion. Yet, the interplay between these mechanisms and microstructure in metallic materials has not been explained. Accordingly, for this thesis, the three main objectives are: (i) to develop a numerical methodology to extract traction-separation relationships from atomistic simulation data during steady-state crack propagation along a grain boundary, building upon prior work employing atomistic cohesive zone volume elements (CZVEs); (ii) to apply the numerical methodology to specific grain boundary systems with different amounts of hydrogen located at the grain boundary interface; (iii) to further the understanding, based on the traction-separation relationships, of the mechanisms by which hydrogen effects the decohesion of a grain boundary system. A range of symmetric tilt grain boundaries in Ni are studied, with hydrogen coverages and favorable sites for hydrogen segregation motivated by Monte Carlo calculations. A sensitivity analysis is performed on the CZVE approach, clarifying the role of CZVE size and numerical parameters necessary to differentiate elastic and decohesion data. Results show that increasing hydrogen coverage can asymmetrically influence crack tip velocity during propagation, leads to a general decrease in the work of separation and promotes a reduction in the peak stress in the extracted traction-separation relationships, though these trends are dependent on the grain boundary structures.

Hydrogen Embrittlement Along Grain Boundaries in Nickel Based on MD Simulation

Hydrogen Embrittlement Along Grain Boundaries in Nickel Based on MD Simulation PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 17

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