Deformation processes near a crack initiation site under dwell-fatigue loading of Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract

The present article reports an investigation of the mechanism of surface crack initiation of a dwell fatigue tested Ti-6Al-4V alloy with a bi-modal microstructure. Interactions between slip bands and grain boundaries were characterized in order to obtain insights into the crack initiation process and discuss the similarities with models described in the literature. Twinning and local lattice rotation occurred as a result of the slip band blocking at the interface and suggests high local stress concentrations. Nevertheless, crack initiation happened to be intergranular and not transgranular. The crack opened up the basal plane that was located at the interface between two nodules poorly oriented for slip and having a common c axis of the hexagonal unit cell.