Abstract
Abstract Cyclic plastic zones around fatigue cracks of austenitic and ferritic stainless steel were studied by hardness measurements using an ultra-low-load indentation system (Nanoindenter TM ). In addition, the corresponding monotonic plastic zones were studied by stylus profilometry of the contracted zone around the fatigue crack. Plastic zones arising from three different stress intensity ranges, 7, 15 and 25 MPa m case1 2 , were analysed. This study shows that both the ultra-low-load indentation technique and stylus profilometry can provide useful information on the plastic flow associated with a propagating fatigue crack. The experimental techniques are described and the experimental results from the austenitic and ferritic stainless steels are discussed. Experimental data on the cycling hardening behaviour of bulk material are included in models on strain distributions ahead of propagating fatigue cracks to rationalize the plastic zone sizes in the investigated materials.
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