Abstract
Slow-strain-rate tensile (SSRT) and fatigue-life tests were carried out on 17-4PH martensitic stainless steel with an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of ∼ 1 GPa. The specimens were precharged by exposure to hydrogen gas at pressures of 35 MPa or 100 MPa at 270°C for 200 h. The SSRT tests used smooth axisymmetric specimens made of two grades of 17-4PH (H1150 and H900) differing by the UTS due to their thermal history. No degradation of the UTS was observed for both H1150 and H900 grades. However, the relative reduction in area (RRA) was 0.31 for H1150 or 0.11 for H900, translating a difference in their hydrogen sensitivity. Both grades presented different fracture-surface morphologies: a mixture of quasi-cleavage (QC) and intergranular (IG) facets for H1150 and cleavage (C) facets for H900. Circumferentially-notched axisymmetric specimens made of H1150 were used for the fatigue-life tests in the [10−3 Hz;10 Hz] frequency range. Our previous study on low-alloy steels with UTS of around 950 MPa demonstrates that the fatigue life of a circumferentially-notched specimen with a sharp notch can be successfully predicted from the fatigue crack growth (FCG) property following the Paris law. This study used the same specimen geometry and a BCC steel with a similar UTS value; hence, the FCG behavior was investigated from the fatigue-life test of the notched specimen. As a result, the degradation of fatigue lives attributed to the FCG acceleration was observed in presence of hydrogen. A FCG acceleration ratio bounded to 30 was observed in the high-cycle regime, accompanied by QC facets. A FCG acceleration ratio bounded to ∼100 was observed in the low-cycle regime, accompanied by QC and IG facets. A FCG model accounting for the interaction of elementary mechanisms was proposed and succeeded in predicting the FCG acceleration ratio observed on H1150. This model was also successfully applied to a low-alloy steel with a comparable UTS (1002 MPa) tested in gaseous hydrogen.
Comparison between tensile, stiffness and fatigue life tests results
