Modelam

Modeling of the behavior of metal alloys against brittleness and fatigue phenomena

Financed by:

Program: Elkartek

Partners

• Vicinay Marine innovación

• IK4-Azterlan

• Ceit-IK4

Summary

The MODELAM research project aims to model the behavior of metal alloys in the crack initiation phase in the event of hydrogen embrittlement and fatigue.

Deciphering how the phenomena of embrittlement and fatigue can cause breakages in metallic materials, constitutes a competitive advantage for sectors that demand highly reliable components subjected to severe mechanical and electro-chemical stresses, such as a large number of related applications. with the offshore sector.

With this objective, the participants of the MODELAM project, the Azterlan and Ceit Technology Centers and the business R&D unit of the Vicinay Marine Group, Vicinay Marine Innovation, develop a research project to find an advanced and proven numerical method , which allows predicting the initiation of cracks and modeling their propagation in components with high added value.

Although it is true that, once the crack is produced, it is possible to reasonably estimate the number of cycles (repetitive movements) that it needs to grow from a given macroscopic size, it is much more complicated to determine the number of cycles necessary for a crack to start. However, the initiation of the crack is a critical element in the life of the component, offering highly relevant information to solve the problem you want to face.

Design methodologies for embrittlement and fatigue are limited in scope. Oversized safety factors are commonly maintained and expensive test batteries on actual components are required to validate designs. This is because the studies and models on which they are based omit relevant aspects of the characteristics of the real component and its service conditions.

Consequently, it is necessary to model this initiation to determine the behavior of metal alloys in the face of these phenomena.

Ceit's role in the project

Within the project, Ceit is responsible for developing the theoretical model of fatigue crack initiation, to which it will later incorporate the effect of hydrogen embrittlement.