Numerical Study of the Effect of δ-Ferrite on Crack-Tip Mechanical Field

A dual-phase microstructure with 5–12% δ-ferrite is needed to prevent hot cracking of stainless steel weld metal. However, the δ-ferrite also makes it susceptible to long-term thermal aging embrittlement. Recent studies revealed that the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility might either be reduced or increased by the δ-ferrite, depending on the embrittlement degree of the ferrite during the operation. One possible explanation was that the harder δ-ferrite inhibited the crack growth by changing the cracking direction and creating a highly branched crack path. To further reveal the mechanism of δ-ferrite effect on SCC behavior of those materials in high temperature water, a finite element investigation for the distribution of crack-tip stress and plastic strain field with and without δ-ferrite under a constant load was conducted. The result shows that the crack tip stress and plastic strain decrease when the crack encounters the δ-ferrite, indicating a lower cracking susceptibility, and the enhancement of δ-ferrite hardness can further reduce the crack-tip plastic strain. the severe stress and strain states occur along the ferrite edge, this indicates that the cracks are more tend to initiate and develop along the interface of δ-ferrite and austenite matrix.