Ryuji Sugiura

An Assessment and Estimation of the Damage Progression Behavior of IN738LC under Various Applied Stress Conditions Based on EBSD Analysis

In order to characterize the damage progression behavior of IN738LC and the influence of applied stress, the average misorientation within grains was evaluated using the electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) method, by measuring over a million data points located across almost the whole zone of the tested specimens. It has been shown under various test conditions such as differing temperatures and strain rates that the average misorientation increases linearly with the increase of creep strains. As a result, it is confirmed that it is possible to assess the remaining creep fracture life from its average misorientation value regardless of the testing temperature and strain rate. In addition, the deformation and fracture mechanisms of various types of mechanical damage, such as tensile, impact, and creep conditions, were discussed by evaluating the characteristics of misorientation distribution. As a result, it has been revealed that creep damage affects a large area of the material, but it is localized near grain boundaries, which is completely different from that of tensile or impact damage. In conclusion, detailed investigation into the cross section of fracture samples using the EBSD misorientation analysis allows for the qualitative estimation of the fracture mode under various applied stress conditions, the cause of the fracture.

Analysis of damage behaviour based on EBSD method under creep–fatigue conditions for polycrystalline nickel base superalloys

Abstract In order to detect creep–fatigue damage before the crack initiation stage, an investigation into damage behaviour based on the electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) method for a polycrystalline nickel base superalloy has been carried out. The average misorientation within grains increases linearly up to the initiation of cracks with the increase in creep strains. Even if stress distributions exist by stress concentration, assessment in all the damage areas allowed the evaluation of creep damage regardless of geometrical influence. Furthermore, the influence of strain rates, introducing fatigue and testing temperatures are hardly observed in the misorientation analysis. Misorientation almost corresponded to inelastic strain regardless of those influences. Quite a small misorientation caused by fatigue led to an equivalent result between creep conditions and creep–fatigue conditions. It is concluded that the misorientation analysis of damaged materials based on the EBSD method allows the quantitative estimation of creep strain and the assessment of remaining creep fracture life.

Viscoelastic Deterioration of the Carotid Artery Vascular Wall is a Possible Predictor of Coronary Artery Disease

AIM The viscoelastic properties of the artery are known to be altered in patients with vascular diseases. However, few studies have evaluated the viscoelasticity of the vascular wall in humans. We sought to investigate the degree of viscoelastic deterioration of the carotid artery and assess its clinical implications. METHODS Between January 2011 and June 2013, patients in whom the toe-brachial index was measured at the vascular laboratory were included in this single-institute retrospective observational study. I(＊), a parameter of viscoelastic deterioration, was computed using a non-invasive ultrasonic Doppler effect sensor on the carotid artery. I(＊) is a non-dimensional value, and I(＊)>0 is considered abnormal. Other patient characteristics were identified and tested for correlations with I(＊). RESULTS The study included 383 patients. The mean I(＊) value was 0.13 ± 0.22 with a normal distribution. Factors that increased the I(＊) value were a female sex (0.18 ± 0.23 vs. 0.10 ± 0.21, P<0.001), age ≥ 60 (0.14 ± 0.22 vs. 0.06 ± 0.23, P<0.05) and systolic blood pressure of >140 (0.15 ± 0.22 vs. 0.10 ± 0.22, P<0.05). I(＊) abnormality was a significant risk factor for coronary artery disease (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.00-4.80, P<0.05) in a univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, I(＊) abnormality was also found to be an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (OR 4.56, 95% CI 1.21-30.1, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS I(＊) may reflect the degree of atherosclerotic changes in the arterial wall and could possibly be used to predict coronary artery disease.

Geometrical influence for creep damage evaluation of IN738LC using electron backscatter diffraction

Abstract The Ni-based superalloy IN738LC is an outstanding heat-resistant material, but it does have the disadvantage of being brittle. Therefore creep degradation such as deformation of components or initiation of microscopic creep voids only appear at the end of its available creep life. To date, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy has been used for damage evaluation. Some results showed that the misorientation was correlated with the magnitude of macroscopic plastic or creep strains. In this study, by using the EBSD method, the characteristics of the change and distribution tendencies of crystallographic misorientation on creep life have been investigated. In addition, the geometrical influence of stress concentrated areas for misorientation analysis has been investigated, which is important to evaluate damage in practical components like blades. As a result, the grain reference orientation deviation parameter which corresponds to the spread of creep strain has been found to be useful to estimate creep life among the misorientation parameters. Also, misorientation analysis allows the evaluation of creep damage before the appearance of obvious defects without being subjected to the geometrical influence of the stress concentrated areas.

Characterization of Structural Embrittlement of Creep Crack Growth for W-Added 12%Cr Ferritic Heat-Resistant Steel Related to the Multiaxial Stress

In components under static creep loading condition, the multiaxial stress fields appear due to the plastic constraint and they produce a more brittle type cracking behavior. From a practical standpoint, the characterizations of creep crack growth rates under the multiaxial stress field are important to improve the methods for creep life extension. In this paper, creep crack growth tests were conducted using round bar specimens with sharp circular notches for tungsten-added 12%Cr ferritic heat-resistant steel (W12%Cr steel), and the effect of multiaxiality on creep ductility and creep crack growth rate were investigated. Furthermore, three-dimensional elastic-plastic creep finite element analyses were conducted to clarify the effect of multiaxiality on creep crack growth.

Micro mechanics based on vacancy diffusion coupled with damage mechanics related to creep deformation and prediction of creep fracture life

AbstractIn situ observations of crack growth and damage progression were conducted under creep conditions for P92 and titanium aluminides inter-metallic compound. A proposed analysis of stress induced particle diffusion was applied to stress induced vacancy diffusion. Results obtained from this analysis were successfully correlated with the experimental behaviour of macroscopic damage progression and a theoretical characteristic of creep deformation was derived. It was found to be in good agreement with experimental characteristics of creep deformation. Furthermore, the experimental characteristics of creep damage progression which concern voids and micro crack formations at grain boundary were found to be well correlated with those of deformation. From these results, correlation between vacancy diffusion in nano-scale, creep damage in mezzo-scale and creep deformation in macro-scale were successfully realized.

Micro- and macro-creep damage formation for P92 under multiaxial stress related to circular notched specimen

Abstract In this study, to clarify the behaviour of micro- and macro-creep damage progression for P92 under multiaxial stress field, interrupted creep tests, analysis of multiaxial stress and detailed the cross-sectional observations were conducted on a circular notched round bar specimen which produces the multiaxial stress field due to the plastic constraint. As a result, creep voids were initiated at the early stage and they were formed up to the final fracture. These phenomena were found to be detected using direct current potential drop (DCPD) method. These results concern the development of the measurement of creep crack initiation. The distribution of high void area fraction was in good agreement with that of high hydrostatic stress and high multiaxial stress. This result indicates that multiaxial stress affects the void formation. Furthermore, the micro-creep damage of each interrupted specimen was evaluated by using the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) method which can analyse crystallographic misorientation caused by creep strain. The results of EBSD analyses indicated that the value of grain reference orientation deviation (GROD) closely concerns the void initiation.

Law of Crack Growth Life for P92 Steel Under the Conditions of Creep-Fatigue Multiplication and Projection of the Threshold Temperature of Creep Crack Growth Based on This Law

W-added 9Cr ferritic heat-resistant steels, ASME grade P92, are used under the high temperature creep-fatigue condition. Concerning the maintenance of the operational safety and minimizing operational costs, it is necessary to construct a law of predicting the crack growth life by clarifying the dominant factors of the crack growth life under the condition of creep-fatigue multiplication (the effect of stress holding time on the time-dependent fracture). In this study, crack growth tests under the conditions of creep-fatigue multiplication were conducted with various conditions of stress holding time, applied stress and temperatures. As a result, a unified law of predicting the crack growth life under the conditions of creep-fatigue multiplication was derived based on the concept of Q* with the transition function of crack growth life from fatigue to creep.© 2009 ASME

Theoretical Representations of a Characteristic Curved Surface for the Life of IN738LC Under High Temperature Creep and Fatigue Interaction Based on Non-Equilibrium Science

The Ni-base supperalloy IN738LC, developed as a gas turbine blade material, is used under the conditions of creep-fatigue multiplication. In this paper, using IN738LC, in situ observational tests under the conditions of creep-fatigue multiplication were conducted and the effects of cycle-dependent and time-dependent mechanisms on the fracture life tf were investigated. Furthermore, on the basis of the concept of non-equilibrium science, the multiple effects of creep and fatigue on the fracture life tf were clarified.© 2009 ASME

The application of the analysis of potential driven particle diffusion to the strength of materials

The problems of diffusion in solid are widely treated as those of numerical analyses such as mechanisms of hydrogen diffusion which causes embrittlement, boundary micro crack initiation and growth under high temperature creep condition and stress and electro-migration due to vacancy diffusion in LSI circuit. In this paper, the significance of α multiplication method which we proposed to analyze the particle diffusion problems under potential gradient and the results obtained from this method were discussed for the problems of hydrogen embrittlement, vacancy diffusion which results in creep crack damage and deformation, and line failure in LSI circuit. Furthermore, temperature characteristic of the sensitivity of particle diffusion and concentration such as hydrogen and vacancy were discussed based on this proposed analysis.