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Procedia Engineering 10 (2011) 1973–1978

ICM11

Fatigue strength properties of precipitation strengthening

stainless steel A286 focused attention
on small fatigue crack behaviour
H. Wua,*, Y. Oshidab, S. Hamadac and H. Noguchic
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka,
819-0395, Japan
b
International Research Center for Hydrogen Energy, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
c
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395,
Japan

Abstract

In order to safely use precipitation strengthening type A286 stainless steel in high cycles, the fundamental fatigue
strength characteristics were investigated using fatigue tests at room temperature. During the fatigue test, the author
paid attention to the behaviour of small fatigue cracks in order to clarify the fatigue strength properties in more detail
than the usual fatigue test. As a result of the fatigue test, the fatigue strength characteristic of the A286 steel became
clarified as shown below. The fatigue strength ratio of the A286 steel is lower than 0.5 which is the ratio value of
most steels. The cracks propagate which result in a failure even after 107 cycles. It was found that there are two crack
mechanisms propagation of the A286 steel; i.e., in a high load-stress, the cracks monotonously propagate and result in
failure. Under a low load-stress, the cracks intermittently propagate even after 107 cycles. The non-propagating
cracks coalesce with a new crack which initiates near the crack tip and it becomes longer, finally resulting in a failure.
This is the reason why the fatigue failures occur even after 107 cycles.
© 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of ICM11

Keywords: Fatigue, Crack Propagation, Strength, Fatigue Limit, Precipitation Strengthening Stainless Steel.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +81-92-802-3067; fax: +81-92-802-0001.

E-mail address: impklover@gmail.com.

1877-7058 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of ICM11 doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2011.04.327
1974 H. Wu et al. / Procedia Engineering 10 (2011) 1973–1978

1. Introduction

A286 (SUH660) steel is an austenitic precipitation hardened heat-resistant stainless steel which has a
high strength and excellent hydrogen embrittlement resistance. The A286 steel is an equipment material
candidate for exposing to high pressure hydrogen such as in a pressure accumulator because its hydrogen
diffusion is extremely slow.
The A286 steel is developed for extreme environments, such as high temperature and low temperature,
and research regarding the fatigue strength characteristics and the fatigue crack propagation for low
cycles in each environment has been carried out [1, 2, 3, 4]. However, there is no research concerning the
fatigue limit which is required in order to guarantee a long-term reliability. In addition, there is some
possibility that the A286 steel, which is an iron-based precipitation hardened alloy, has no fatigue limit
because an aluminum alloy, which is a precipitation hardened alloy, has no fatigue limit. In this study, in
order to safely use the A286 steel over a long-term, the fundamental fatigue strength characteristics were
investigated with attention to the behaviour of the microscopic fatigue cracks during the fatigue tests.

2. Experimental methods

From the tensile test result of the A286 steel used in this study, the following results were obtained:
tensile strength ıB = 1065MPa, 0.2% proof stress ı0.2 = 664MPa and elongation į = 27.6%. The Ono type
rotating-bending fatigue test machine was used in air at room temperature for the fatigue test. The
microscopic fatigue crack behaviour was obtained using the replica method. Figure 1 shows the shapes
and dimensions of the fatigue test specimen. Besides the normal smooth specimen shown in Fig. 1(a), a
fatigue test specimen with small defects, which is shown in Fig. 1(b), was prepared for the fatigue test in
order to confirm the fatigue crack behaviour of the test specimen with defects. The surfaces of the test
specimens were buff-polished after machining, and finally electro-polished. Figure 2 shows the
microstructure of the test specimen surface. The maximum grain size is about 200ȝm.

a b
Fig. 1 Shapes and dimensions of the specimen (unit: mm): (a) Fatigue test specimen; (b) Artificial hole

Fig. 2 Microstructure
 H. Wu et al. / Procedia Engineering 10 (2011) 1973–1978 1975

3. Results and discussion

3.1. The mechanism of the crack initiation and propagation behaviour

Figure 3 shows the fatigue strength of the A286 steel. The fatigue failures occur even after N = 107
cycles. Figure 4 shows the relationship between the crack length and the number of cycles at ıa =
230MPa and 400MPa obtained by the replica method. A lot of fatigue cracks can be observed on the
surface of the A286 steel, and Fig. 4 shows a part of the longest fatigue cracks. From the Fig. 4(a), we
know that after N = 107 cycles, although the temporary non-propagating crack behaviour could be seen at
ıa = 230MPa, the crack continues intermittently propagating in the low stress. In Fig. 4(b), we see the
crack growth behaviour of the specimen with an artificial hole as well as the smooth specimen at ıa =
400MPa. Cracks from the artificial hole and from the smooth surface on the specimen with an artificial
hole, and the crack on the smooth specimen, show the same crack growth behaviour. Moreover, the
fatigue failure occurs on the specimen with an artificial hole by the crack which initiates and propagates
from the smooth surface. Therefore, it is understood that a 200ȝm defect does not affect the fatigue
strength of the A286 steel. From the results shown in Fig. 4, it is considered that there are two types of
crack propagation behaviours for the A286 steel according to stress; the behaviour of a crack
intermittently propagating in the low stress, and the behaviour of crack with monotonous propagation in
the high stress.

500
Stress amplitude, Va [MPa]

A286
Rotating bending
Room temperature
400
: unbroken

300

200

100 5 6 7 8 ? 9
10 10 10 10 10 10
Number of cycles to failure, Nf

Fig. 3 The fatigue strength of the A286 steel

a b
1500 10
Va = 230MPa Specimen with an artificial hole
Fatigue crack length, L [μm]

Fatigue crack length, L [mm]

9 Crack from the artificial hole

L

Crack from the smooth surface

8
Specimen without an artificial hole
7 Crack from the smooth surface
1000 Axial direction Crack from the smooth surface
6
Va = 400MPa
5
L

4
500
3 Axial direction
2
1
0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 1 2 3 4 5
7 5
[u10 ] Number of cycles, N [u10 ]
Number of cycles, N

Fig. 4 Crack growth behaviour: (a) ıa = 230MPa; (b) ıa = 400MPa

1976 H. Wu et al. / Procedia Engineering 10 (2011) 1973–1978

The crack initiation behaviour is shown in Fig. 5. The cracks initiate in a grain where the defects, such
as an inclusion, are not found by the Scanning Electron Microscopic observations of the fractured surface.
According to the crack initiation - propagation process by continuous observation, it is understood that
the thin line initiates in the grain and the line becomes slowly darker until the crack initiation and
propagation.
The crack propagation behaviour is described in Fig. 6. The crack shown in Fig. 6 is the longest crack
on the specimen surface indicated by ż at N = 7.5×107 cycles in Fig. 4(a). By looking at the shape of the
crack propagation, it is understood that the A286 steel, like the aluminum alloys, have the same
strengthening mechanism. The crack is easy to propagate by Mode II in the A286 steel. In addition, Fig. 6
shows the crack initiated in the number of cycles, N = 4.0×106 cycles, at which cycles the crack could not
initiate in the common steel. The crack propagation behaviours shown in Fig. 6 are as follows. Two
adjacent cracks, which initiate at N = 4.0×106 cycles (a) and non-propagate at N = 2.6×107 cycles (b),
coalesce and become longer at N = 2.7×107 cycles (c), go on propagating until N = 3.4×107 (d) and then
non-propagate.
a b c d

Fig. 5 Crack initiation (ıa = 260MPa): (a) N = 6.0×104; (b) N = 8.0×104; (c) N = 1.0×105; (d) N = 1.1×106

a b c

d e f

Fig. 6 Crack growth behaviour (ıa = 230MPa): (a) N = 4.0×106; (b) N = 2.6×107; (c) N = 2.7×107; (d) N = 3.4×107;
(e) N = 4.6×107; (f) N = 4.8×107
 H. Wu et al. / Procedia Engineering 10 (2011) 1973–1978 1977

110
100 5
N = 1u10
90 6
N = 1u10
7
80 N = 1u10

Number of cracks
7
70 N = 5u10

60 Va = 230 MPa
50
40
30
20
10
0

750
800
850

1000
1050
1100
700

900
650

950
550
0

600
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Crack length [μm]

Fig. 7 Fatigue crack length distribution (ıa = 230MPa)

However, the non-propagating crack coalesces with a new crack which initiates near the crack tip, and it
becomes longer after 12 million cycles from N = 4.6×107 (e) to N = 4.8×107 (f). Therefore, it is
considered that the fatigue crack, although showing a non-propagating behaviour, coalesces with a
neighboring crack or a new crack which initiates near the crack tip, thus macroscopic cracks that
intermittently propagate could be seen in the A286 steel.
Figure 7 shows a distribution map of the crack length during the ıa = 230MPa test. In the low stress,
we can see many cracks that initiated and propagated on the surface.
Overall, in low stress, many cracks initiate, propagate, stop and coalesce with neighboring cracks or a
new crack initiates near the tip of non-propagating crack and propagates until failure occurs.

3.2. The S-N diagram for the A286 steel

In the A286 steel, the mechanism of cracks from initiation to failure has been clarified in a low stress.
In a research article by Mughrabi et al. [5], it was suggested that multiple fatigue limits can exist in an S-
N curve for an ultrahigh-cycle fatigue regime. Therefore, the S-N diagram with double fatigue limits
shown in Fig. 8 is used for the A286 steel.
In Fig. 8, it is considered that the S-N diagram for the A286 steel consists of four parts from the low
cycle; i.e., Part 1 is a sloping line, which means a fatigue crack initiation and monotonic propagation. The
slip occurred in a grain and the increase in the slip is prevented by the grain boundary. The slips
accumulate in the grain, becomes a slip band, yield step in the surface of the fatigue specimen and cause
stress concentration. Part 2 is a horizontal line, which denotes fatigue limit I. In part 2, the fatigue crack
initiates, propagates and non-propagates. However, the non-propagation crack continues propagating after
the cycling. Therefore, fatigue limit I is not ‘true’ fatigue limit and could also be called the fatigue
strength at 107 cycles. It is unknown that whether there is a fatigue limit for the A286 steel, if the fatigue
limit I (fatigue strength at 107 cycles)(ıa = 270MPa) was the fatigue limit, the fatigue strength ratio (ıw /
ıB) of the A286 steel is 0.25 lower than 0.5 which is the ratio value of most steels.
Part 3 is a gentle sloping line, which suggests that a new crack initiates near the tip of the non-
propagation crack and propagates until failure. The A286 steel is a precipitation hardened stainless steel,
the grain of the A286 steel is strengthened by the precipitated Ȗƍ-phase (Ni3 (Al, Ti)) and the grain
boundary is precipitated by the Ș-phase (Ni3Ti) that were observed by TEM [6, 7]. It is expected that the
high cyclic stress was loaded on the field at the tip of the non-propagation crack, although the hardness of
the A286 steel increases by work hardening, the total hardness decreases by cutting the precipitates and
then meeting the conditions for the crack initiation. In other words, it is considered that slips become easy
1978 H. Wu et al. / Procedia Engineering 10 (2011) 1973–1978

500

Stress amplitude, Va [MPa]

A286
Rotating bending
Room temperature
400
Part 1 : unbroken

300
Part 3
Part 2
Part 4
200

100 5 6 7 8 ? 9
10 10 10 10 10 10
Number of cycles to failure, Nf

Fig. 8 S-N diagram of A286 steel

to initiate and cracks because of the hardness decreases. Part 4 is a horizontal line, which means fatigue
limit II. It is considered that all of the precipitates were cut and there is no function of precipitation
hardening for the A286 steel, thus a new crack does not initiate near the tip of the non-propagation crack
at the low hardness. It is postulated that there is a lower limit of hardness decreases for the A286 steel,
which is the hardness of the A286 steel without precipitation hardening. Therefore, the fatigue test of the
material by heat treatment without precipitate initiation should be performed to show the crack initiation
limit.

4. Conclusions

Using the fatigue test and focusing attention on the microscopic fatigue behaviour, we determined the
fatigue strength characteristics of the A286. (1) The 200ȝm defect does not affect the fatigue strength. (2)
It is considered that there are two types of crack propagation behaviours for the A286 steel according to
stress; i.e., the behaviour of the crack with intermittent propagation in the high stress, and the behaviour of
cracks initiate, propagate, stop and coalesce with a neighboring crack or a new crack initiates near the tip
of non-propagating crack and propagates until a failure occurs in the low stress. (3) It is considered that
the S-N diagram for the A286 steel consists of four parts.

References

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[4] Kubota M, Tanaka Y, Kondo Y. The effect of hydrogen gas environment on fretting fatigue strength of materials used for
hydrogen utilization machines. Tribology International, 42; 2009, p. 1352-59
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