Effect of Microstructure on Fatigue Crack Propagation and S-N Fatigue Behaviors of TMCP Steels with Yield Strengths of Approximately 450 MPa

Abstract

In the present study, stress (S) - number of cycles to failure (N) (S-N) fatigue and fatigue crack propagation behaviors of three thermomechanical control process steels with different microstructures but similar yield strengths of approximately 450 MPa were investigated. The P + F steel was predominately pearlite plus ferrite, whereas B1 and B2 steels were both bainitic steels with martensite-austenite and pearlitic islands. Despite the significant difference in microstructural features, the resulting fatigue crack propagation rates and near-threshold Delta K values were comparable with each other. The hard phases, such as pearlite colonies in the P + F specimen, tended to affect fatigue crack propagation behavior in a similar manner, and severe crack branching was observed in intermediate and high Delta K regimes. Despite similar fatigue crack propagation rates and near-threshold Delta K values, the resistance to S-N fatigue was substantially different for each steel specimen. Depending on fatigue crack initiators, such as the ferrite/pearlite phase boundaries for the P + F specimens and the cracked martensite-austenite and/or small pearlitic islands for the bainitic specimens, the cycles for crack initiation varied greatly.