Abstract

Since the surface morphology of materials can be observed with atomic-scale resolution, scanning atomic force microscopy (AFM) in a powerful technique to study mechanisms of fatigue and fracture of solid materials. In the present study, slip-band formation and fatigue crack-initiation processes in 70-30 brass were observed by means of AFM. The slip-band angle relative to the stress-axis at the specimen surface varied from 15 to 90°, and it appeared most frequently around 60°. The depth of the intrusion drastically increased with its outgrowth to a crack, and with coalescence of cracks, the width of cracks increased rapidly. The critical value of the intrusion depth for crack initiation was given as a function of the slip-band angle through a geometrical model for the slip-direction and the slip-step, and the critical value was independent of stress amplitude. From presice observations of slip-band tips, slip-bands had steep slope when they were blocked by grain boundaries, and the slip-bands descended by gradual slopes to plain surfaces when they terminated within grains.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.