Development of a microstructural cohesive zone model for intergranular hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking

Unai De Francisco; Nicolas O Larrosa; Matthew J Peel

doi:10.1016/j.engfracmech.2021.108167

Development of a microstructural cohesive zone model for intergranular hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking

Unai De Francisco, Nicolas O Larrosa, Matthew J Peel

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Abstract

During the initial stages of hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking (HEAC), including crack incubation, initiation and microstructurally short cracking, the geometrical configuration of the microstructure greatly influences the crack growth behaviour. Therefore, there is a big incentive to generate a model which can replicate intergranular HEAC at a microstructural scale. This report provides a general framework to implement a microstructural intergranular HEAC model by using a cohesive zone approach in Abaqus. The parameters of the phenomenological model were fitted by using in-situ synchrotron tomography observations of crack initiation and propagation during HEAC of AA7449-T7651. After fitting the parameters, the real HEAC behaviour of the aluminium alloy 7449-T7651 has been replicated accurately. Several characteristic HEAC features were achieved, including crack segmentation, preferential cracking along grain boundaries with a high resolved normal stress and cracks slowing down at grain boundary triple junctions. Comparisons with experimental observations show the suitability of this approach for the prognosis of crack initiation and propagation at a microstructural scale under HEAC conditions.

Original language	English
Article number	108167
Journal	Engineering Fracture Mechanics
Volume	260
Early online date	22 Dec 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2021.108167
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding was provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), United Kingdom in a doctoral training partnership for a PhD at the University of Bristol. We would like to thank Mike Jackson from BlueQuartz software for his support for the Dream.3D pipeline. Additionally, we would like to thank Dr Antonio Melro for his suggestions during the development of the Abaqus subroutine. We would also like to acknowledge the advanced computing research centre at the University of Bristol for providing access to the BlueCrystal Phase 3 supercomputer.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)

Keywords

Microstructurally short cracking
Cohesive zone model
Aluminium alloys
Hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking

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This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via Elsevier at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2021.108167 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.
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Hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking of aerospace aluminium : An investigation on the increased susceptibility of novel aircraft alloys to cracking in moist air under static loads
De Francisco, U. (Author), Peel, M. J. (Supervisor) & Larrosa, N. O. (Supervisor), 25 Jan 2022
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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title = "Development of a microstructural cohesive zone model for intergranular hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking",

abstract = "During the initial stages of hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking (HEAC), including crack incubation, initiation and microstructurally short cracking, the geometrical configuration of the microstructure greatly influences the crack growth behaviour. Therefore, there is a big incentive to generate a model which can replicate intergranular HEAC at a microstructural scale. This report provides a general framework to implement a microstructural intergranular HEAC model by using a cohesive zone approach in Abaqus. The parameters of the phenomenological model were fitted by using in-situ synchrotron tomography observations of crack initiation and propagation during HEAC of AA7449-T7651. After fitting the parameters, the real HEAC behaviour of the aluminium alloy 7449-T7651 has been replicated accurately. Several characteristic HEAC features were achieved, including crack segmentation, preferential cracking along grain boundaries with a high resolved normal stress and cracks slowing down at grain boundary triple junctions. Comparisons with experimental observations show the suitability of this approach for the prognosis of crack initiation and propagation at a microstructural scale under HEAC conditions.",

keywords = "Microstructurally short cracking, Cohesive zone model, Aluminium alloys, Hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking",

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note = "Funding Information: Funding was provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), United Kingdom in a doctoral training partnership for a PhD at the University of Bristol. We would like to thank Mike Jackson from BlueQuartz software for his support for the Dream.3D pipeline. Additionally, we would like to thank Dr Antonio Melro for his suggestions during the development of the Abaqus subroutine. We would also like to acknowledge the advanced computing research centre at the University of Bristol for providing access to the BlueCrystal Phase 3 supercomputer. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Author(s)",

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AU - De Francisco, Unai

AU - Larrosa, Nicolas O

AU - Peel, Matthew J

N1 - Funding Information: Funding was provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), United Kingdom in a doctoral training partnership for a PhD at the University of Bristol. We would like to thank Mike Jackson from BlueQuartz software for his support for the Dream.3D pipeline. Additionally, we would like to thank Dr Antonio Melro for his suggestions during the development of the Abaqus subroutine. We would also like to acknowledge the advanced computing research centre at the University of Bristol for providing access to the BlueCrystal Phase 3 supercomputer. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)

PY - 2022/2/1

Y1 - 2022/2/1

N2 - During the initial stages of hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking (HEAC), including crack incubation, initiation and microstructurally short cracking, the geometrical configuration of the microstructure greatly influences the crack growth behaviour. Therefore, there is a big incentive to generate a model which can replicate intergranular HEAC at a microstructural scale. This report provides a general framework to implement a microstructural intergranular HEAC model by using a cohesive zone approach in Abaqus. The parameters of the phenomenological model were fitted by using in-situ synchrotron tomography observations of crack initiation and propagation during HEAC of AA7449-T7651. After fitting the parameters, the real HEAC behaviour of the aluminium alloy 7449-T7651 has been replicated accurately. Several characteristic HEAC features were achieved, including crack segmentation, preferential cracking along grain boundaries with a high resolved normal stress and cracks slowing down at grain boundary triple junctions. Comparisons with experimental observations show the suitability of this approach for the prognosis of crack initiation and propagation at a microstructural scale under HEAC conditions.

AB - During the initial stages of hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking (HEAC), including crack incubation, initiation and microstructurally short cracking, the geometrical configuration of the microstructure greatly influences the crack growth behaviour. Therefore, there is a big incentive to generate a model which can replicate intergranular HEAC at a microstructural scale. This report provides a general framework to implement a microstructural intergranular HEAC model by using a cohesive zone approach in Abaqus. The parameters of the phenomenological model were fitted by using in-situ synchrotron tomography observations of crack initiation and propagation during HEAC of AA7449-T7651. After fitting the parameters, the real HEAC behaviour of the aluminium alloy 7449-T7651 has been replicated accurately. Several characteristic HEAC features were achieved, including crack segmentation, preferential cracking along grain boundaries with a high resolved normal stress and cracks slowing down at grain boundary triple junctions. Comparisons with experimental observations show the suitability of this approach for the prognosis of crack initiation and propagation at a microstructural scale under HEAC conditions.

KW - Microstructurally short cracking

KW - Cohesive zone model

KW - Aluminium alloys

KW - Hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking

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DO - 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2021.108167

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

SN - 0013-7944

VL - 260

JO - Engineering Fracture Mechanics

JF - Engineering Fracture Mechanics

M1 - 108167

ER -

Development of a microstructural cohesive zone model for intergranular hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Student theses

Hydrogen environmentally assisted cracking of aerospace aluminium : An investigation on the increased susceptibility of novel aircraft alloys to cracking in moist air under static loads

Cite this