Kovove Mater.

53 2015 305–311 305

DOI: 10.4149/km 2015 5 305

Comparative strain analysis of 34CrMo4 steel and Inconel 738LC

M. Štamborská1 *, M. Losertová1 , K. Konečná2 , V. Mareš3 , L. Horsák3

1
Department of Non-ferrous Metals, Refining and Recycling, Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering,
VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
2
Department of Material Engineering, Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering,
VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
3
Center of Advanced Innovation Technologies (CAIT), VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic

Received 2 December 2014, received in revised form 14 January 2015, accepted 20 January 2015

Abstract
The comparative analysis of mechanical properties using a digital image correlation by Vic
2D software was performed for two types of high-strength materials. The strain analysis during
tensile tests was carried out on the cylinder tensile specimens of 34CrMo4 steel and IN 738LC
superalloy. Both materials showed similar strength but different ductility. While the 34CrMo4
steel showed typical necking of tensile specimens with ductile fracture surfaces, cracking of the
IN 738LC became without necking, and the fracture morphology displayed mixed feature with
ductile dimples or quasi-cleavage areas and cracked carbides. Microhardness measurements
completed metallographic and fractographic studies of tensile samples.

K e y w o r d s : 34CrMo4, IN 738LC, strain analysis, fracture surface

1. Introduction Ti, Nb, Ta, Cr, W, Co and Mo, hereinafter by fine γ

precipitates and carbides [9–11].
The low-carbon 34CrMo4 steel with medium In an experimental analysis of plastic deformation
through-hardening is applied in machine parts of on the surface of specimens, it is advantageous to
medium-duty or high toughness in the automotive use contactless displacement sensing methods, allow-
and aerospace industry. Good performance of the ing obtaining deformation fields in pre-selected areas.
34CrMo4 steel at high pressures enables its applica- The digital image correlation (DIC) is one of the most
tion to gas cylinders. The steel is primarily produced advanced optical methods of displacement sensing and
as blanks – wire, universal mill plates, forgings, seam- subsequent determination of strains on the surface of
less tubes, hot-rolled billets, rolled bars, hot-rolled examined objects. The strain fields are calculated from
strips or steel for refining [1–4]. The heat-treatable the displacement fields by the Vic 2D program [12, 13].
steel could be in different thermal treated stages, as The aim of this study was to compare the deform-
austenitized and quenched or austenitized, quenched ation behavior of both materials mentioned above us-
and tempered. So, the microstructure could be formed ing strain analysis completed by metallographic and
of martensite or transformed martensite. Although no fractographic studies and on the best of results to de-
susceptibility to tempering brittleness is manifested, termine if the DIC method is suitable for different
this steel possesses welding difficulties and a tendency types of alloys.
to chilling cracking after hot forming, initiated mainly
by indentations and surface defects [5–8].
The Inconel 738 LC (IN 738LC) is a nickel-base 2. Experiment methodology
low-carbon superalloy used for high-temperature ap-
plications, as gas turbine engines. The unique mech- 2.1. Experimental procedures
anical properties of the IN 738LC alloy at high tem-
peratures are ensured by a Ni-base solid solution (fcc The tensile tests were carried out on cylindrical
γ matrix) that is hardened by suitable solutes, as Al, specimens with the gauge length of 28 mm and the dia-

*Corresponding author: e-mail address: stamborska.michaela@gmail.com

306 M. Štamborská et al. / Kovove Mater. 53 2015 305–311

T a b l e 1. Chemical composition according to standards: 34CrMo4 steel ČSN EN 10083-1/DIN 17200/ (wt.%)

C Mn Si P S Cr Mo

0.30–0.37 0.60–0.90 max 0.40 max 0.035 max 0.035 0.90–1.20 0.15–0.30

T a b l e 2. Chemical composition according to standards: IN 738LC superalloy (wt.%)

Ni Cr Co Al Ti W Mo Ta Nb

balance 15.7–16.3 8.2–9.0 3.2–3.7 3.2–3.7 2.4–2.8 1.5–2.0 1.5–2.0 0.6–1.1

Zr B Fe Si Mn Cu P C S

0.03–0.08 0.007–0.012 max 0.5 max 0.3 max 0.2 max 0.1 max 0.015 0.09–0.13 max 0.015

T a b l e 3. The values of mechanical properties for 34CrMo4 steel measured by standard uniaxial tensile test

Specimens Yield strength Ultimate tensile stress Strain field εx

(MPa) (MPa) (–)

1 937 1040 0.446

2 958 1041 0.436
3 941 1041 0.390

Average value 945 ± 28 1041 ± 1 0.441 ± 0.02

meter of 5 mm. Stress-strain diagrams were obtained with compositions of 4 ml HNO3 + 96 ml C2 H5 OH

for three specimens of 34CrMo4 steel and three spe- and 45 ml C2 H5 OH + 5ml HCl + 2.5 g CuCl2 were
cimens of IN 738LC superalloy. The tensile test was applied at a room temperature for 34CrMo4 steel and
realized with a deformation rate of 2.5 × 10−3 s−1 on IN 738LC superalloy, respectively. The microstructure
the experimental setup consisting of Zwick/Roel Z150 observation of the alloys in an etched condition, as
tensile machine with hydraulic grips and of the Canon well as the microanalysis, were performed using scan-
5D Mark II camera. ning electron microscope (SEM) JEOL JSM-6490 LV
The evaluation of the strain fields was carried out equipped with EDS analyzer INCA x-act. The fracto-
by using an image correlation software Vic 2D. The graphic study after the tensile tests was carried out
principle of the method is based on scanning the using JEOL JSM-6490 LV microscope.
stochastic black and white spotted pattern created on Microhardness was evaluated for both materials.
the surface of the examined object, for example, by Microindentation hardness testing was done using an
spraying black paint on a white background. The ob- FM-100 tester with Vickers indenter, and FM-ARS-
served area is divided by a virtual grid into smaller -900 semiautomated system. Five indentations under
subareas called facets so that each of them would con- a constant load of 1.961 N were performed for 7 s in
tain a characteristic part, with sufficient contrast, of the center of the longitudinal section of each speci-
the pattern. Based on the correlation of corresponding men taken from the tested bars and average values of
facets before and after deformation, the displacements HV0.2.
of the individual points and strain fields are determ-
ined. In case of plane image correlations, the object 2.2. Experimental materials
deformations are determined by observation through
one camera directed perpendicularly to the surface of The mechanical properties and deformation be-
the object. This procedure allows determining the de- havior of two different high-strength materials were
formation of the object in a level parallel to the image compared, one being destined for pressure vessels, the
level of the camera [14–16]. second one for high-temperature applications.
The metallographic study was realized on cross-
sections of both materials. Samples of the steel as well 2.2.1. 34CrMo4 steel
as of the superalloy were grinded on abrasive paper
SiC and polished with a diamond paste of grain size The first experiment was carried out on tensile spe-
1 µm using a semi-automatic grinder. Etching reagents cimens prepared from the 34CrMo4 steel of the chem-
 M. Štamborská et al. / Kovove Mater. 53 2015 305–311 307

Fig. 1. SEM SEI micrographs of 34CrMo4 steel: (a) gen- Fig. 3. SEM micrographs of IN 738LC superalloy: (a)
eral view of fine-grained microstructure, b) detail of trans- BEC image of solid solution strengthened by γ
-phase and
formed martensite and carbides. carbides, (b) SEI detail of γ
precipitates in γ solid solu-
tion.

specimens prepared from the nickel-base superalloy IN

738LC and supplied in a precipitation strengthened
state by the society PBS Velká Bíteš, a.s. The chemical
composition of tested alloy is given in Table 2. Before
the tensile test cylindrical samples were submitted to
hot isostatic pressing (HIP) at 1190 ◦C and 175 MPa
for 4 hours to reduce the amount of casting defects in
the microstructure and eliminate premature cracking
[17].
Fig. 2. The stress-strain diagram for three specimens of
the 34CrMo4 steel.
3. Results and discussion

ical composition shown in Table 1. Heat treatment of 3.1. Microstructure and mechanical properties
the steel consisted of austenitization at 850 ◦C and wa- of 34CrMo4 steel
ter cooling followed by tempering at 640 ◦C and water
cooling. The metallographic observation confirmed that the
microstructure in quenched and tempered state was
2.2.2. IN 738LC superalloy formed of transformed martensite and carbide pre-
cipitates (Fig. 1). The prior austenite grain size was
The second experiment was performed on tensile estimated by the standard ČSN EN ISO 643 and
308 M. Štamborská et al. / Kovove Mater. 53 2015 305–311

Fig. 4. The stress-strain diagram for three specimens of IN

738LC superalloy.

reached G = 14. The average values of microhardness

of martensite microstructure were of 320 HV0.2.
Mechanical characteristics for the 34CrMo4 steel
that were obtained by a tensile test are listed in
Table 3 and are in good compliance with [18]. The
deformation behavior of material with higher plasti-
city and high strength characteristics is confirmed in
the stress-strain diagram plotted in Fig. 2.

3.2. Microstructure and mechanical properties

of IN 738LC superalloy

The microstructure of superalloy consisted of γ

solid solution, γ  precipitates and carbides distributed
in the γ matrix (Fig. 3a). The typical morphology of γ 
precipitates is detailed in Fig. 3b. The average values
of microhardness measured on (γ + γ  ) areas reached
381 HV0.2.
The measured values of mechanical properties ob-
tained by a tensile test for IN 738LC superalloy are
listed in Table 4. The yield strength, as well as ul- Fig. 5. The strain fields εx (–) obtained by Vic 2D for
timate tensile stress, correspond to the given mater- 34CrMo4 steel for specimens: (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3.
ial [19]. The stress-strain diagram obtained from the
tensile test of IN 738LC superalloy is shown in Fig. 4.
Eq. (1) from measured values obtained by DIC:
3.3. The results obtained by DIC for

34CrMo4 steel dε d L(t) − L0 1 dL v(t)
ε̇(t) = = = (t) = ,
dt dt L0 L0 dt L0
The distribution of strain fields εx (–) obtained by (1)
VIC 2D software for the 34CrMo4 steel is shown in where L0 is the original length, L(t) is the length at
Fig. 5 and corresponds to the last stage of the tensile time t and v(t) is the speed at which the ends are
test, when the rod forms a local contraction of the moving away from each other.
width (necking) and deforms further only in this one The strain rate diagrams of 34CrMo4 steel are
place until it breaks. shown in Fig. 6.
In places away from the neck, the tested rod does
not extend. From the results for all three specimens 3.5. The results obtained by DIC for IN
displayed in Fig. 5, it could be seen that the values 738LC superalloy
of strains shown in red in the narrowed areas, reach
maximum values from 39 to 45 %. The results of strain field measurement εx (–) ob-
tained by VIC 2D software for IN 738LC superalloy
3.4. The strain rate of 34CrMo4 steel are shown in Fig. 7. It can be seen that the values of
strains shown in red in the narrowed area of the spe-
The strain rate ε̇(t) was calculated according to cimens, reach maximum values from 14 to 18 % and
 M. Štamborská et al. / Kovove Mater. 53 2015 305–311 309

T a b l e 4. The values of the measured mechanical properties for IN 738LC superalloy obtained by standard uniaxial
tensile test

Specimens Yield strength Ultimate tensile stress Strain field εx

(MPa) (MPa) (–)

1 725 945 0.184

2 721 864 0.139
3 722 914 0.177

Average value 723 ± 4 908 ± 79 0.167 ± 0.024

Fig. 6. The strain rate for 34CrMo4 for specimens: (a) 1,

(b) 2 and (c) 3.

correspond to the last stage of tensile test, when the

rod breaks without a local contraction of the width.
Unlike the 34CrMo4 steel, the distributions of max-
imum values of strains are not uniform that is the
cause of no necking. Cracking occurs in any area with
the highest value of strain as seen in Fig. 7.

3.6. The strain rate of IN 738LC superalloy

The strain rate for IN 738 LC superalloy was cal-

culated by the same Eq. (1) from measured values
obtained by DIC, and the diagrams for all specimens
are shown in Fig. 8.
Fig. 7. The strain fields εx (–) obtained by Vic 2D for IN
738LC for specimens: (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3.
3.7. Fractography of 34CrMo4 steel

After the tensile test, the specimens of the

34CrMo4 steel showed ordinary cup-and-cone frac- Fig. 9a) displays transgranular fracture with dimples
tures with rosette star-type surfaces (Fig. 9). The and deep secondary cracks that are typical for the
magnified view of Fig. 9b of the fracture surface in ductile material.
310 M. Štamborská et al. / Kovove Mater. 53 2015 305–311

Fig. 8. The strain rate for IN 738 LC for specimens: (a) 1,

(b) 2 and (c) 3.

3.8. Fractography of IN 738LC superalloy

By general view, fracture surfaces of IN 738LC

superalloy show intergranular or interdendritic frac-
tures (Fig. 10a) surface with casting defect in the
bottom. At higher magnifications, a more ductile fea-
ture with dimples or quasi-cleavage areas is typical Fig. 9. SEM fractographs of the 34CrMo4 steel: (a) rosette
for cracking of γ matrix strengthened by γ  precip- star-type fracture and b) detail of ductile surface with sec-
ondary crack.
itates. The cracked MC carbides and decohesion at
carbide/matrix interface are shown in Fig. 10b. Block
type MC carbides as crack initiators at their interface havior of IN 738LC superalloy shows higher brittleness
with the matrix and failure propagated along this in- due to the presence of Ni3Al precipitates and carbides.
terface have cleavage feature [20]. Maximum values of strains measured for 34CrMo4
steel by Vic 2D ranged from 39 to 45 % and were loc-
ated at the point of constriction as is marked in red
4. Conclusions in Fig. 3. The average values of tensile characteristics
of 34CrMo4 steel reached 945 MPa and 1041 MPa for
Based on the results of comparative strain analysis the yield strength and ultimate tensile stress, respect-
of 34CrMo4 steel and IN 738LC following conclusions ively. Higher plasticity of the samples during tensile
could be drawn: testing was confirmed by necking, as well as by the
The DIC method allows very well determining the tenacious character of fracture with ductile dimples.
magnitude of the strain fields and localization of the The maximum values of strain fields εx measured
deformation area and is suitable for applying to both for IN738LC and calculated by Vic 2D ranged from
alloys with good plasticity and with higher brittleness. 14 to 18 %. In the case of IN 738LC, the average
The method allowed us to determine the distribution tensile characteristics reached 723 and 908 MPa for
and amount of deformation, at which the samples are the yield strength and ultimate tensile stress, respect-
fractured, but also to detect locations of defects or ively. Lower plasticity of superalloy was confirmed not
microstructure heterogeneities formed during the pro- only by a large number of high strain areas occurred
duction of materials. along the gauge part of samples but also by mixed
Both alloys are high strength materials. While the nature of the fracture with a transcrystalline or in-
steel of sufficient homogeneity is characteristic by a terdendritic cracking with ductile dimples as well as
sample construction and necking, the deformation be- quasi-cleavage facets.
 M. Štamborská et al. / Kovove Mater. 53 2015 305–311 311

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