A Grain Boundary Fracture Model for Predicting Dynamic Embrittlement and Oxidation-Induced Cracking in Superalloys

Nickel-based superalloys are sometimes susceptible to oxygen embrittlement in the form of dynamic embrittlement or oxidation-induced grain boundary cracking during services at elevated temperatures. Dynamic embrittlement is a fracture process that involves the ingress and diffusion of atomic oxygen to induce time-dependent decohesion of grain boundaries. A related fracture process, also a time-dependent process, is stress-accelerated grain boundary oxidation and oxide-induced cracking along grain boundaries. In this paper, a micromechanical model is developed to treat both dynamic embrittlement and oxidation-induced crack growth in Ni-based superalloys. The model is utilized to assess: (1) the conditions where dynamic embrittlement are dominant, (2) the conditions where oxidation-induced crack growth are dominant, and (3) the role of oxidation in suppressing dynamic embrittlement in Ni-based superalloys. For illustration, the grain boundary fracture model is applied to predict the onset of dynamic embrittlement and oxidation-induced crack growth in superalloys such as IN 718.