Work

Alternating ductile and brittle cracking mode in medium manganese steel sheets

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Medium manganese steel sheets exhibit an unusual alternating failure mode transition involving an arrowhead fracture pattern under various loading conditions. Tests were performed using an Arcan setup with different shear-to-tension ratios and specimen orientations to explore the failure mechanisms and unravel the root causes of the transition. The fracture surfaces, characterized by optical and electron microscopy, show a periodic switchover from ductile damage to quasi-cleavage, organized into repeating arrowhead zones pointing towards the crack propagation direction. The step-by-step crack propagation leaves a signature on the load-displacement curve matching the discontinuous cracking events found on the fracture surfaces. Decreasing stress-intensity factor due to sudden crack advance and associated load drop causes the brittle crack to arrest. Periodic porosity clusters under the fracture surface indicate re-blunting after each cycle of stable/unstable fracture.

Source: Scripta Materialia

DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2024.116450

Authors: Thibaut Heremans, Astrid Perlade, Pascal J. Jacques, Thomas Pardoen

Institutions: UCLouvain, ArcelorMittal (France), Walloon Excellence in Lifesciences and Biotechnology

Language: English

Topic: Fatigue and fracture mechanics

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,220

Funders: Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, Fonds pour la Formation à la Recherche dans l’Industrie et dans l’Agriculture