In situ imaging of high cycle fatigue crack growth in single crystal nickel-base superalloys by synchrotron X-radiation

A novel X-ray synchrotron radiation approach is described for real-time imaging of the initiation and growth of fatigue cracks during ultrasonic fatigue (f = 20 kHz). We report here on new insights on single crystal nickel-base superalloys gained with this approach. A portable ultrasonic fatigue instrument has been designed that can be installed at a high-brilliance X-ray beamline. With a load line and fatigue specimen configuration, this instrument produces stable fatigue crack propagation for specimens as thin as 150 mu m. The in situ cyclic loading/imaging system has been used initially to image real-time crystallographic fatigue and crack growth under positive mean axial stress in the turbine blade alloy CMSX-4.