Modeling the cyclic softening and lifetime of ferritic-martensitic steels under creep-fatigue loading

Abstract

Ferritic-martensitic (F/M) steels are a common choice for high-pressure, high-temperature boilers and steam piping in power plants, but cyclic softening without saturation is a major degradation mechanism of F/M steels. This degradation mechanism is more pronounced and complex under creep-fatigue loadings. For reliable, but not overly conservative design a better understanding of this phenomenon is necessary. The intent of this work is to characterize and model the softening and lifetime behavior under creep-fatigue conditions at high temperature. Therefore, low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests with hold time were performed at 550 °C.A distinct dependence of the softening behavior on hold time was found. Additionally, detrimental effect of compressive hold time on lifetime was also observed in this study. All effects of hold time were more pronounced for small strain amplitudes. Based on these experimental observations, a unified viscoplastic deformation and damage model is further developed to describe the high-temperature cyclic softening and lifetime behavior of F/M steels under creep-fatigue loading. An optimized parameter set for the extended model is determined based on experimental results. Good agreement of experimental results and model descriptions is achieved both under pure fatigue as well as under creep-fatigue conditions. The detrimental effect of compressive hold times on lifetime of ferritic-martensitic steels is well represented.