Microstructure based fatigue life prediction framework for polycrystalline nickel-base superalloys with emphasis on the role played by twin boundaries in crack initiation

Fatigue crack initiation in polycrystalline materials is dependent on the local microstructure and the deformation mechanism, and can be attributed to various mechanistic and microstructural features acting in concert like the elastic stress anisotropy, plastic strain accumulation, slip-system length, and grain boundary character. In nickel-base superalloys, fatigue cracks tend to initiate near twin boundaries. The factors causing fatigue crack initiation depend on the material's microstructure, the variability of which results in the scatter observed in the fatigue life. In this work, a robust microstructure based fatigue framework is developed, which takes into account i) the statistical variability of the material's microstructure, ii) the continuum scale complex heterogeneous 3D stress and strain states within the microstructure, and iii) the atomistic mechanisms such as slip-grain boundary (GB) interactions, extrusion formations, and shearing of the matrix and precipitates due to slip. The quantitative information from crystal plasticity simulations and molecular dynamics is applied to define the energy of persistent slip bands (PSB). The energy of a critical PSB and its associated stability with respect to the dislocation motion is used as the failure criterion for crack initiation. This unified framework provides us with insights on why twin boundaries act as preferred sites for crack initiation. In addition to that, the computational framework links scatter observed in fatigue life to variability in material's microstructure. (C) 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.