The influence of hydride size and matrix strength on fracture initiation at hydrides in zirconium alloys

The effects of matrix strength (yield stress) on hydride fracture and alloy ductility have been studied as a function of stress state, hydride content, hydride size, and precipitation stress. Uniaxial and triaxial states of stress were investigated by using smooth and notched tensile specimens, respectively, containing 0.18 or 0.90 at. pct H, with the longest hydride platelet dimension varying from 5 to 400 μm. The majority of the hydrides in the specimens had their plate normals oriented parallel to the tensile axis direction. Crack initiation at hydrides was monitored using acoustic emission, finiteelement calculations were employed to determine the stresses and strains in the notched specimens, and metallographic and fractographic analyses were carried out to determine the state of fractured hydrides/voids near and on the fracture surface. These techniques showed that, up to a hydride platelet length of ∼50 to 100 μm and regardless of the stress state, a critical plastic strain, independent of matrix strength, controls the initiation of fracture in hydrides. The amount of plastic strain needed to fracture hydrides decreases as (a) the average hydride length increases and (b) the axiality of stress increases. The equivalent plastic strain to fracture small hydrides is ∼ 1 pct under a triaxial as opposed to ∼5 pct under a uniaxial state of stress. When the average hydride platelet lengths are longer than ∼50 to 100 μm, negligible plastic deformation is required to fracture hydrides. A critical applied stress then is the governing factor in all three materials, ranging from 750 to 850 MPa, depending on the stress state.