Fatigue crack growth of the MA12 magnesium alloy in vacuum and air

The growth of a crack and the failure mechanism have been examined in the specimens prepared from magnesium alloy sheets containing 2.9% Nd and 0.44% Zr,the specimens being subjected to the cyclic bending in the open air and in vacuum of 1x10-6 mm Hg. Examination of the plastic zone around a crack was carried out by the methods of optical microscopy and X-ray structure analysis of fractures. It has been shown that when tested in vacuum, the growth rate of a fatigue crac in vacuum is essentially slower than being tested in the open air. The fatigue failure mechanism is the same in the open air and in vacuum; during the slow growing of a crack, that mechanism is essentially a brittle intragrain cleavage. The plastic zone forming around the crack is greater in vacuum than in the open air