Experimental and theoretical characterization of near-threshold fatigue crack growth for high strength steels in seawater

Near-threshold fatigue crack growth rate data were generated for six high strength steels at stress ratios of 0.5 and 0.8 under different environmental conditions, which included air, freely corroding in seawater, and cathodically polarized in seawater to -0.80v, -0.95v and -1.10v (vs SCE). The influence of stress ratio, loading frequency, magnitude of cathodic polarization and initial DeltaK on fatigue crack growth behavior for these high strength steels was experimentally characterized. The results disclosed general trends of fatigue crack growth under conditions relevant to offshore structure applications and circumscribed variables that are primarily influential with regard to service performance. The rate controlling processes and cracking mechanisms of near-threshold fatigue crack growth, particularly under cathodic polarization in seawater, were also studied in conjunction with crack mouth opening displacement measurements, fractographic observation and crack profile examination. The data and observations suggest that calcareous deposit induced closure was the rate-controlling factor for near-threshold fatigue crack growth under cathodic polarization in seawater although the cracking involved a brittle failure mechanism as a result of hydrogen embrittlement. With different FCGR determining procedures which included natural K-decreasing, enhanced K-decreasing, natural K-increasing and constant DeltaK, the FCGR under cathodic polarization in seawater was found to be time-dependent and, as such, was not a unique function of DeltaK but depended upon K-history or experimental procedures. These observations were consistent with results of a theoretical analysis which involved kinetics modeling of the interaction between fatigue crack growth and calcareous deposit thickening. The model also predicted the existence of an upper limit transition DeltaK, DeltaK Upp/T, between the Paris and threshold regions and it was found that the predicted DeltaK Upp/T was in agreement with the experimental one. The basis for applying this critical parameter (DeltaK Upp/T) to offshore structure designs was addressed in conjunction with experimental results.