Influence of crack length and grain boundaries on the propagation rate of short cracks in austenitic stainless steel

Cyclic deformation experiments on austenitic stainless steel were performed using different plastic strain amplitudes. The experiments were repeatedly interrupted in order to determine the propagation rate and length of the existing cracks as well as the corresponding distance between crack tip and opposing grain boundary. The results reveal the transition between the regimes of microstructurally and mechanically short cracks as well as the nature of the barrier effect of grain boundaries for crack propagation.