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Phase Field Modelling of Formation and Fracture of Expanding Precipitates

Reheman, W. LU ; Ståhle, P. LU ; Durgé, E. and Singh, R. N. (2017) XXIV Italian Group of Fracture Conference, 1-3 March 2017, Urbino, Italy In Procedia Structural Integrity 3. p.477-483
Abstract

It is a common belief that embedded expanding inclusions are subjected to an internal homogeneous compressive hydrostatic stress. Still, cracks that appear in precipitates that occupy a larger volume than the original material, are frequently observed. The appearance of cracks has since long been regarded as a paradox. In the present study it is shown that matrix materials that increases its volume even several percent during the precipitation process develop a tensile hydrostatic stress in the centre of the precipitate. This is the result of a complicated mechanical-chemical phase transformation process. The process is here studied using a Landau phase feld model. Before the material is transformed and incorporated in a precipitate it... (More)

It is a common belief that embedded expanding inclusions are subjected to an internal homogeneous compressive hydrostatic stress. Still, cracks that appear in precipitates that occupy a larger volume than the original material, are frequently observed. The appearance of cracks has since long been regarded as a paradox. In the present study it is shown that matrix materials that increases its volume even several percent during the precipitation process develop a tensile hydrostatic stress in the centre of the precipitate. This is the result of a complicated mechanical-chemical phase transformation process. The process is here studied using a Landau phase feld model. Before the material is transformed and incorporated in a precipitate it undergoes stretching beyond the elastic strain limit because of the presence of already expanded material. During the phase transformation, the accompanying volumetric expansion cannot be fully accommodated which instead creates an internal compressive stress and adds tension in the surrounding material. As the growth of the precipitate proceeds, a region with increasing tensile stress develops in the interior of the precipitate. This is suggested to be the most probable cause of the observed cracks. First the mechanics that lead to the tension is computed. The infuence of elastic-plastic properties is studied both for cases both with and without cracks. The growth history from microscopic to macroscopic precipitates is followed and the result is compared with observations of so called hydride blisters that are formed on surfaces of zirconium alloys in the presence of hydrogen. A common practical situation is when the zirconium is in contact with an object of lower temperature. Then the cooled spot attracts hydrogen that make the zirconium transform to a metal hydride with the shape of a blister. The simulations predicts a final size and position of the growing crack that compares well with the experimental observations.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
blister, cold spot, fracture, Hydride, precipitates, Phase field model, hydride, surface blisters
in
Procedia Structural Integrity
volume
3
pages
7 pages
publisher
Elsevier
conference name
XXIV Italian Group of Fracture Conference, 1-3 March 2017, Urbino, Italy
conference dates
2017-03-01 - 2017-03-03
external identifiers
  • scopus:85056208367
ISSN
2452-3216
DOI
10.1016/j.prostr.2017.04.062
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b2779ea0-c25b-470c-a689-9592be7d6b82
date added to LUP
2019-06-04 09:33:28
date last changed
2022-02-15 20:33:07
@article{b2779ea0-c25b-470c-a689-9592be7d6b82,
  abstract     = {{<p>It is a common belief that embedded expanding inclusions are subjected to an internal homogeneous compressive hydrostatic stress. Still, cracks that appear in precipitates that occupy a larger volume than the original material, are frequently observed. The appearance of cracks has since long been regarded as a paradox. In the present study it is shown that matrix materials that increases its volume even several percent during the precipitation process develop a tensile hydrostatic stress in the centre of the precipitate. This is the result of a complicated mechanical-chemical phase transformation process. The process is here studied using a Landau phase feld model. Before the material is transformed and incorporated in a precipitate it undergoes stretching beyond the elastic strain limit because of the presence of already expanded material. During the phase transformation, the accompanying volumetric expansion cannot be fully accommodated which instead creates an internal compressive stress and adds tension in the surrounding material. As the growth of the precipitate proceeds, a region with increasing tensile stress develops in the interior of the precipitate. This is suggested to be the most probable cause of the observed cracks. First the mechanics that lead to the tension is computed. The infuence of elastic-plastic properties is studied both for cases both with and without cracks. The growth history from microscopic to macroscopic precipitates is followed and the result is compared with observations of so called hydride blisters that are formed on surfaces of zirconium alloys in the presence of hydrogen. A common practical situation is when the zirconium is in contact with an object of lower temperature. Then the cooled spot attracts hydrogen that make the zirconium transform to a metal hydride with the shape of a blister. The simulations predicts a final size and position of the growing crack that compares well with the experimental observations.</p>}},
  author       = {{Reheman, W. and Ståhle, P. and Durgé, E. and Singh, R. N.}},
  issn         = {{2452-3216}},
  keywords     = {{blister; cold spot; fracture; Hydride; precipitates; Phase field model; hydride; surface blisters}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{477--483}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Procedia Structural Integrity}},
  title        = {{Phase Field Modelling of Formation and Fracture of Expanding Precipitates}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2017.04.062}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.prostr.2017.04.062}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}