Abstract
It is well established that within the lower-shelf temperature range of Fe2-3Si
polycrystalline steels, the brittle fracture occurs predominately by transgranular cleavage, unless
subject to embrittling heat-treatments. The cleavage fracture develops on the well established {001}
planes of the bcc structure. In this paper we revisit the growth, of these cleavage cracks by
considering crack propagation in single crystals of Fe2Si steel. Three point bend specimens
manufactured from oriented crystals have been tested by impact loading at a temperature of -196ºC.
High spatial resolution focused ion beam imaging combined with ion milling is used to examine in
detail the crack propagation path and has provided a new insight into the mechanisms involved. In
particular it has been established that within the process zone of the propagating cracks local strain
is accommodated by the formation of {112} twins. The results are discussed with respect to the
overall crack propagation mechanism.
| Translated title of the contribution | A Consideration of Cleavage Crack Propagation in Fe2Si Steel |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Pages (from-to) | 1 - 4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Key Engineering Materials |
| Volume | 385-387 |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |