In situ studies and modeling the fracture of Zircaloy-4

In situ fracture studies were performed on non-irradiated Zircaloy-4 using tensile specimens and pre-cracked Compact Tension (CT) specimens to clarify the mechanism for fracture initiation in the constrained and non-constrained state. Similar approaches have been taken in the literature to understand the role of hydrides on the fracture of Zircaloy-4, but hydride-free Zircaloy-4 has received little study. Both annealed and beta-treated Zircaloy-4 were tested in the longitudinal, transverse, and short-transverse orientations to study the role of microstructure and orientation. Unstable crack extension is shown to occur under plastic constraint by a process of void nucleation, growth, and coalescence initiating from the Laves phase particles in the microstructure. A micromechanical model is developed for ductile tearing by void growth and coalescence. Excellent agreement between the model and experiments are observed. Aspects of the fracture mechanism and model are discussed.