Random hydrogen-assisted fatigue crack growth in steel plates

• Published in: Probabilistic engineering mechanics Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 61 - 66
• Main Author: HOLOBUT, P
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Crack growth model; Crack propagation; Diffusion in solids; Exact sciences and technology; Fatigue; Fatigue failure; Fatigue, brittleness, fracture, and cracks; Fracture mechanics; Fracture mechanics (crack, fatigue, damage...); Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Hydrogen diffusion; Hydrogen embrittlement; Mathematical models; Mechanical and acoustical properties of condensed matter; Mechanical properties and methods of testing. Rheology. Fracture mechanics. Tribology; Mechanical properties of solids; Metals. Metallurgy; Physics; Probabilistic methods; Probabilistic moment; Probability theory; Random fatigue; Solid mechanics; Steels; Stochasticity; Structural and continuum mechanics; Time to failure; Transport properties of condensed matter (nonelectronic); Crack growth model; Hydrogen diffusion; Time to failure; Random fatigue; Probabilistic moment; Hydrogen embrittlement; Statistical analysis; Cracked plate; Probabilistic approach; Growth rate; Hydrogen; Statistical moment; Empirical method; Fatigue; Steel; Modeling; Crack propagation; Stochastic analysis; Randomization; Uncertain system; Deterministic model; Stochastic equation
• ISSN: 0266-8920; 1878-4275
• DOI: 10.1016/j.probengmech.2010.06.008

A stochastic analysis of hydrogen-assisted fatigue crack growth in steel plates is presented. First, a simplified deterministic model of the process is proposed. It captures the basic empirical property that the influence of hydrogen diminishes, as the crack growth rate increases. However, it only applies to cases, when diffusion is rate limiting. Next, the model parameters are randomized to reflect the uncertainty inherent in the physical situation. On the basis of the obtained stochastic equation, probabilistic moments of the time, in which the crack reaches a critical length, are computed. Theoretical results are illustrated by a numerical example.