A POINT-DEFECT MODEL FOR FATIGUE CRACK INITIATION IN NI3AL+B SINGLE-CRYSTALS

Transmission electron microscopy of boron-doped Ni3Al single crystals, oriented for single slip and cyclically deformed at room temperature, revealed a high density of dislocation dipoles and point defect clusters. Observations of circular perfect dislocation loops, Frank loops, vacancy tetrahedra and spherical voids provide evidence of vacancy condensation during fatigue cycling at room temperature. It is suggested that lattice misfit develops between persistent slip bands (PSB) and matrix as a result of the generation and coalescence of excess vacancies in PSBs. The misfit strain at PSB/matrix interfaces is considered to increase with increasing cumulative plastic strain. Together with SEM observations of surface topography, it is suggested that fatigue damage in Ni3Al single crystals is initiated by the formation of microvoids (microcracks) at PSB/matrix interfaces. The microvoids (microcracks) break down the coherency of the PSB/matrix interfaces and thereby relieve the accumulated misfit strain at the interfaces. A model of fatigue crack initiation based upon a surface energy criterion is proposed. © 1990.