Effect of Loading Frequency on Fatigue Crack Growth Behaviour and Microstructural Damage in P92 HAZ

Various hold periods in a cyclic wave of fatigue load were introduced to investigate loading frequency effects on crack growth behavior and microstructural damage. The crack growth path and microstructural damage characteristics at 600℃ in tempered martensitic 9Cr-2W (P92) HAZ of welded steel were studied. Generally, low frequency effect with increasing hold periods affects microstructural damage with microvoids/cavities nucleation due to the effect of creep. Results showed that the fatigue crack growth behavior was sensitive to the loading frequency. As frequency decreased, the fatigue crack growth rate increased and the crack path mode changed from transgranular to intergranular in terms of microstructural damage. As the loading frequency decreased, it was found that the microvoids /cavities and microcracks that formed along the prior austenite grain boundaries ahead of the main crack contributed to the intergranular crack growth.