Effects of quenching and tempering conditions of a low-alloy pressure vessel steel (A508 Gr.3) on its brittle fracture initiation and toughness
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The fracture toughness and the brittle fracture initiation of a quenched/tempered A508 Gr.3 low-alloy steel were studied to reveal the effects of heat treatment conditions. The results show better fracture toughness properties (i.e. lower fracture toughness reference temperature T 0 (according to ASTM E1921 standard)) at higher quenching rate and lower tempering parameter, as expected. Three types of brittle fracture initiation mechanisms have been observed at the microscopic scale: at grain boundary carbides; on inclusions; at grain boundaries with no detectable particle. The proportion of occurrences of crack initiations cases observed at inclusions was higher when the reference temperature T 0 is lower, either with a smaller tempering parameter or a higher quenching rate. Overall, the mechanism of crack initiation on a carbide as observed in this study was predominant.
Source: Procedia Structural Integrity
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Université Paris-Saclay, Centre des Matériaux, Service de Recherche en Matériaux et procédés Avancés, École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris, Framatome (France), Électricité de France (France)
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: Centro de Ecológia Aplicada
OpenAlex ID: W4412436496