A coupled kinetic-constitutive approach to the study of high temperature crack initiation in single crystal nickel-base superalloys

A rate-dependent crystallographic constitutive theory coupled with a mass diffusion model has been used to study crack initiation in single crystal nickel-base superalloys, exposed to an oxidising environment and subjected to mechanical loading. The time to crack initiation under constant load has been predicted using a strain-based failure criterion. A notched compact tension (CT) specimen containing a single casting defect, idealised as a cylindrical void close to the notch surface, has been studied. Finite element analysis of the CT specimen revealed that, due to the strong localisation of inelastic strain at the void, a microcrack will initiate in the vicinity of the void rather than at the notch surface. The numerical results have also shown that the time to crack initiation depends strongly on the void location. The coupled diffusion–deformation studies have revealed that environmental effects reduce the time to crack initiation due to the oxidation-induced material softening in the vicinity of the notch and void. The applicability of a failure assessment approach, based on the linear elastic stress intensity factor, K, to predict the crack initiation time under creep loading is examined and a probabilistic framework for prediction of component lifetime is proposed.