Microstructural statistics for fatigue crack initiation in polycrystalline nickel-base superalloys

In advanced engineering alloys where inclusions and pores are minimized during processing, the initiation of cracks due to cyclic loading shifts to intrinsic microstructural features. Criteria for the identification of crack initiation sites, defined using elastic-plastic loading parameters and twin boundary length, have been developed and applied to experimental datasets following cyclic loading. The criteria successfully quantify the incidence of experimentally observed cracks. Statistical microstructural volume elements are defined using a convergence approach for two nickel-base superalloys, IN100 and Ren, 88DT. The material element that captures the fatigue crack-initiating features in Ren, 88DT is smaller than IN100 due to a combination of smaller grain size and higher twin density.