Grain boundary cracking in fatigued bicrystals

Compact tension (CT) shaped copper bicrystals containing the Σ3(111), Σ9(221), Σ41(338) or random [110] tilt boundaries either perpendicular or parallel to the tensile axis (TA) were tested to examine the effect of grain boundary (GB) structure on fatigue crack initiation and propagation. With both types of bicrystals, the GB resistance to intergranular cracking increases with the decrease in the Σ value. The effect of air on fatigue crack propagation is found to be of primary importance. It is shown that the GB is not necessarily a preferential site for crack propagation in vacuum. A crack introduced intergranularly in air may assume a stransgranular mode of growth in vacuum. The initial GB structure greatly affects the susceptibility of GBs to corrosion in air and this determines their resistance to crack growth. The relative importance of slip band cracking as compared to GB cracking in vacuum is examined. The dominant mechanism of fracture is seen to be determined by two factors: the GB structure in the non-equilibrium state and the geometry of slip with respect to GB orientation.