Fractography

George F. Vander Voort, Consultant Principal Engineer P.O. Box 10 Wadsworth, IL 60083-0010 george@georgevandervoort.com

Fracture Modes
Transgranular: Cracking across grains without preference for grain boundaries

Intergranular: Cracking between grains, the crack propagates in the grain boundaries

Fracture Mechanisms
Ductile
Brittle Fatigue Torsion Stress Corrosion Cracking

Liquid Metal Embrittlement

Hydrogen Embrittlement and HIC

Creep
Wear

Ductile Fracture

A ductile fracture suggests that the design, materials and manufacture were all done properly and the part was overloaded in service. It may be that the applied stresses are now greater than the part was originally designed to withstand.

Ductile Fracture in Tension

Top View

Side View

Large shear lips, substantial necking down

Ductile Fracture Charpy V Notch Specimen

2% Nital Etch

Ductile Fracture Microvoid Coalescence

SEM SEI PH 13-8Mo Stainless Steel Tensile Fracture

Ductile Fracture: X-750 Rising Load Test

Bright field (left) and dark field (right) light microscope images of a ductile fracture in an X-750 Ni-base superalloy rising load test fracture.

Ductile Fracture: X-750 Rising Load Test

Secondary electron SEM image of a ductile fracture of X-750 Ni-base superalloy rising load test fracture.

Ductile Fracture Popsac Vessel

70 F, Burst at 8500 psi

7.375 inch diameter, 0.125 inch thick 1030 carbon steel vessel, design strength 4475 psi

-50 F, Burst at 9000 psi

Tensile Fractures Begin Internally

Partially Broken Tensile Specimen

Brittle Fracture
Brittle fractures suggest that the design, manufacture or materials quality were improper for the safe use of the part.

Brittle Fracture in Tension

Top View Side View Small shear lips, no visible necking down

Brittle Fracture Charpy V Notch Specimen

2% Nital

Brittle Fracture Charpy V Notch Specimen

Cleavage Fracture in Carbon Steel

100 m

50 m

Fracture profile of brittle fracture of a carbon steel specimen (nickel plated, 2% nital etch).

Cleavage Cracks in Carbon Steel

20 m

20 m

Cleavage cracks in a carbon steel (nital). Cracks off of the main fracture.

Cleavage Cracks in a Low-Carbon Steel

Cleavage Cracks in a Low-Carbon Steel

Direct and Indirect Views of a Brittle Fracture

LOM - Profile

LOM - Fracture

SEM - Fracture

LOM - Replica

SEM - Replica

TEM - Replica

Charpy VNotch Series to Evaluate the Ductile-toBrittle Transition Temperature

Tensile and CVN Curves for NiCrMoV Forging Grade

Brittle Fracture of Fe 2.2% Si Slab

Brittle fracture of a silicon electrical steel slab during mill handling. The slab measured 8.5-inch thick x 41-inch wide (21.6-cm x 104-cm).

Brittle Fracture of Fe 2.2% Si Slab

Coarse columnar grain structure of the Fe 2.2% Si electrical steel slab, etched with nital. The rolling direction is vertical.

Brittle Fracture of Fe-2.2% Si Slab

Charpy V-notch impact strength curves demonstrate the brittle nature of Fe Si steels

CVN Curves for RMS Titanic Plate Steel

Brittle Fracture of Fe-Al-Cr Ingot

Note that the ingots grain structure can be clearly seen in the fracture pattern.

Large Brittle Fracture of Steel Part

Fracture was initiated at the stress concentrator (arrow)

Boyds Model for Chevron Cracks

Boyds Model for Chevron Crack Growth

Brittle Fracture of a Railroad Rail

The apex of the chevrons point back to the origin of the fracture

Ship Steel Drop-Weight Test Fractures

Note transition from ductile to chevron to flat cleavage fracture with decreasing temperature. Chevrons are most pronounced at 50 F (-45 C).

Cleavage in Fe 2.5% Si

Bright field (left) and dark field (right) views by light microscopy of a brittle cleavage fracture in Fe 2.5% Si broken at 173 C.

Cleavage Fracture of Fe-2.5% Si

SEM SEI, 14 mm WD

SEM BSEI, 14 mm WD

Same area viewed with the Everhard-Thornley detector; the backscattered image is easier to interpret

X-60 Line Pipe Tested 8 F Above DWTT

Full scale line pipe test, loaded to 40% of the yield strength, tested at 56 F, 8 F above the 50% shear area drop-weight tear test transition temperature (+48 F). A 30-grain charge was detonated beneath an 18-inch notch cut in the pipe. The crack speed was 279 fps. The crack propagated 33-inch in full shear and then 18-inch in tearing shear before stopping.

X-60 Line Pipe Tested 2 F Below DWTT

After a small amount of brittle fracture, the crack became ductile and stopped; average crack speed was 566 fps.

X-60 Line Pipe Tested 10 F Below DWTT

Fracture was brittle, ending in ductile shear; average crack speed was 1550 fps.

X-60 Line Pipe Tested 40 F Below DWTT

This line pipe fractured in a wave pattern for a full wave-length by cleavage with <10% shear area present, then changed to full shear and tore circumferentially 19-inch before stopping. The crack speed was 2215 fps.

Brittle (Top) and Ductile (Bottom) Fractures

SEM 1000x

SEM 5000x

TEM Replica 5000x

SEM 1000x

SEM 5000x

TEM Replica 5000x

Unusual Intergranular Fracture in Fe-Cr-Al Alloy

LOM Bright Field

LOM Dark Field

SEM SEI

Unusual Intergranular Fracture in Fe-Cr-Al Alloy

Dark Field LOM

SEM SE Image

Two additional views of the unusual stepped intergranular fracture in the Fe-Cr-Al alloy.

Intergranular Cracking in Ni-Base Alloy

Bright field (left) and dark field (right) light microscopy images of an intergranular fracture in a Ni-base superalloy.

Intergranular Fracture in Ni-Base Alloy

Secondary electron (left) and backscattered electron (E-T) SEM images of the intergranular fracture in a Ni-base superalloy.

Fatigue Fractures
Fatigue fractures occur due to repeated cyclic loading below the static yield strength. It is important to determine if fatigue was high-cycle or low-cycle, as the remedies for each are different.

Unidirectional Bending Fatigue in Bolt

Reversed Bending Fatigue Railroad Coupling Pins

Rotating Torsional Fatigue of 4320 Shaft

Failure started at keyway (B) and ended at C small size of final rupture zone indicates a relatively low load

Fatigue Fractures and Origins

Torsional Fatigue Fracture in 51B60 Railroad Spring

1.625 inch diameter spring (arrow points to the origin)

Fatigue Cracks in Al

Broken specimen, Kellers reagent

Non-broken specimen, Kellers reagent

Fatigue in Carbon Steel

Fatigue Crack in Carbon Steel

2% Nital

Fatigue in Carbon Steel

Fatigue crack grown from a notch in a carbon steel (above and above right, 2% nital).

Fatigue Crack in Carbon Steel

Ni Plating

2% Nital

Fatigue Fracture of Carbon Steel

100 m

50 m

Fatigue fracture in a carbon steel fracture covered with electroless nickel (nital). Crack moving left to right.

Fatigue Crack in 304 Stainless Steel

Glyceregia, Bright Field

Fatigue Crack in 304 Stainless Steel

50 m

15 HCl 10 Acetic 10 HNO3; Nomarski DIC

Fatigue Crack in 304 Stainless Steel

Glyceregia, Bright Field

Fatigue in 316 SS

20 m

100 m

Fatigue crack grown from a notch (above and above right) and the carck path through the microstructure (glyceregia).

20 m

Fatigue Crack in 304 Stainless Steel

15 mL HCl 10 mL Acetic 10 mL HNO3, DIC

Fatigue Crack in 304 Stainless Steel

Left: Glyceregia, Bright Field; Right: 15 mL HCl 10 mL Acetic 10 mL HNO3, DIC

Examples of Striation Patterns

Fracture of Pearlite vs Striations

Fatigue Fracture: X-750 Rising Load Test

Bright field (left) and dark field (right) light microscopy images of an X-750 Ni-base superalloy fatigue fracture.

Fatigue Fracture: X-750 Rising Load Test

Secondary electron SEM image of a fatigue pre-cracked surface in an X-750 Ni-base superalloy specimen.

Fatigue Striations in Rising Load Test Specimen of Ni-Base Superalloy

Fatigue Failure of Rail at FAST

Fracture made in lab to reveal extent of fatigue crack propagation

Top View

Side View

Circular Spall in Hardened Steel Roll

A large inclusion was found at the origin (arrow)

Line Spall in Hardened Steel Roll

Section Cut From Failed HSR

Re-Austentized Regions at Spalls

Frictional heat from fatigue crack growth can re-austenitize regions (arrow) producing as-quenched martensite upon cooling (3% nital)

Spalled Section of Hardened Steel Roll

Area A, 5x

Spalled Hardened Steel Roll

Area B, 10x

Area C, 10x

Close-up views of fatigue propagation marks at initiation site areas B and C on the roll fracture.

Spalled Hardened Steel Roll

Fatigue propagation marks at initiation site D.

Examples of Fatigue Pre-Cracked Charpy V-Notch Specimens of Different Materials Broken at 0 F

Fatigue Pre-Crack and Ductile Fracture of Al CVN Specimen

TEM Replica 10,000x

SEM 10,000x

Images of the fatigue pre-cracked part of the Charpy V-notch impact specimen

Fatigue Pre-Crack and Ductile Fracture of Al CVN Specimen

TEM Replica, 5000x

SEM SE Image, 2000x

Views of the ductile rupture portion of the fatigue precracked Charpy V-notch specimen

Fatigue Pre-Crack and Ductile Fracture of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel CVN Specimen

TEM Replica, 5000x

LOM Image, 500x

SEM SE Image, 5000x

Views of the fatigue pre-cracked portion of a 304 austenitic stainless steel Charpy V-notch specimen

Fatigue Pre-Crack and Ductile Fracture of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel CVN Specimen

TEM Replica, 5000x

SEM SE Image, 2000x

Views of the ductile overload fracture of the fatigue pre-cracked Charpy V-notch specimen

Fatigue Pre-Crack and Ductile Fracture of a Carbon Steel CVN Specimen

TEM Replica, 5000x

SEM SE Image, 5000x

Views of the fatigue pre-cracked portion of the carbon steel Charpy V-notch specimen

Fatigue Pre-Crack and Ductile Fracture of a Carbon Steel CVN Specimen

TEM Replica, 5000x

LOM Image, 500x

SEM SE Image, 5000x

Views of the brittle fracture portion of the fatigue pre-cracked carbon steel Charpy V-notch specimen broken at 0 F

Corrosion and Embrittlement Failures

SCC of 4340 in Salt Water

20 m

Two regions along SCC secondary cracks in a 4340 fastener used on an oil rig raiser in salt water. The fracture face was badly corroded, destroying the fine details, but appeared to be intergranular. It was too hard at 38 HRC for this application. Etched with saturated picric acid + 0.5% HCl and a wetting agent at 80C (500x).

SCC in 4340 in Salt Water

500x

Secondary cracks in 4340 fasteners that failed by SCC in sea water; etched with saturated picric acid + 0.5% HCl + wetting agent at 80C to show the PGBs.

Intergranular SCC in 304 Stainless

Mixed Acids

SEM SEI of Fracture

304 stainless steel wire tested in boiling MgCl2

Intergranular Rising Load Fracture

SEM SEI, 15 mm WD, 15Tilt

SEM ET-BSEI, 15 mm WD, 15Tilt

Fatigue-Intergranular Interface in an X750 Rising-Load Test Specimen

Bright field (left) and dark field (right) light microscopy views of the interface between the fatigue-pre-crack zone (left side) and the intergranular test fracture (right side) in an X-750 Ni-base rising load test specimen.

Fatigue-Intergranular Interface in an X750 Rising-Load Test Specimen

SEM SEI, 13 mm WD, 4Tilt SEM ET-BSEI, 13 mm WD, 4Tilt SEM views of the interface between the fatigue pre-crack zone (left side of fracture) and the intergranular test fracture (right side) in an X-750 rising load test specimen.

Unusual Intergranular Fracture

LOM - DF

SEM SE Image

Unusual intergranular stepped fracture in an Fe-Al-Cr alloy.