Saburo Matsuoka

Bio: Saburo Matsuoka is an academic researcher from Kyushu University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Hydrogen & Fatigue limit. The author has an hindex of 31, co-authored 251 publications receiving 3677 citations. Previous affiliations of Saburo Matsuoka include National Institute for Materials Science & International Institute of Minnesota.

Hydrogen Embrittlement Mechanism in Fatigue of Austenitic Stainless Steels

Abstract: The basic mechanism of the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of stainless steels under fatigue loading is revealed as microscopic ductile fracture, resulting from hydrogen concentration at crack tips leading to hydrogen-enhanced slip. Fatigue crack growth rates in the presence of hydrogen are strongly frequency dependent. Nondiffusible hydrogen, at a level of 2 to approximately 3 wppm, is contained in ordinarily heat-treated austenitic stainless steels, but, over the last 40 years, it has been ignored as the cause of HE. However, it has been made clear in this study that, with decreasing loading frequency down to the level of 0.0015 Hz, the nondiffusible hydrogen definitely increases fatigue crack growth rates. If the nondiffusible hydrogen at O-sites of the lattice is reduced to the level of 0.4 wppm by a special heat treatment, then the damaging influence of the loading frequency disappears and fatigue crack growth rates are significantly decreased.

The low-cycle fatigue, deformation and final fracture behaviour of an austenitic stainless steel

Abstract: The low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behaviour of SUS304-HP austenitic stainless steel was investigated systematically using tension-compression cycling under fully reversed total strain amplitude control conditions at room temperature in laboratory air. In addition to tests at constant strain amplitudes, incremental step tests (IST) were also carried out. Cyclic stress response, during companion specimen tests (CST), revealed combinations of a variable cyclic hardening, stable behaviour and softening, depending on the applied cyclic strain amplitude, while during incremental step tests it exhibited cyclic hardening character at all strain levels. Microstructure observations using optical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that with increasing total strain amplitudes the slip band density increased and the dislocation structure changed from a planar array to a more cellular-like structure. Cyclic deformation-induced austenite/martensite transformation was observed at higher cyclic strain amplitudes. The change in microstructures during cycling is responsible for the fatigue hardening/softening behaviour of the material. The SEM micrographs revealed that at low-strain amplitudes the inclusion-type nucleation occurred near the surface, while at the higher strain amplitudes crack initiation characterized by cleavage cracking occurred not only near the surface but also in the interior of the specimen. Linear or single-slope behaviour was seen both in cyclic stress–strain and Coffin-Mason plots. Masing cyclic stress–strain behaviour was presented only in the IST method but not in the CST method.

Measurement of hardness and elastic modulus by instrumented indentation: Advances in understanding and refinements to methodology

Abstract: The method we introduced in 1992 for measuring hardness and elastic modulus by instrumented indentation techniques has widely been adopted and used in the characterization of small-scale mechanical behavior. Since its original development, the method has undergone numerous refinements and changes brought about by improvements to testing equipment and techniques as well as from advances in our understanding of the mechanics of elastic–plastic contact. Here, we review our current understanding of the mechanics governing elastic–plastic indentation as they pertain to load and depth-sensing indentation testing of monolithic materials and provide an update of how we now implement the method to make the most accurate mechanical property measurements. The limitations of the method are also discussed.

Recent developments in stainless steels

Abstract: This article presents an overview of the developments in stainless steels made since the 1990s. Some of the new applications that involve the use of stainless steel are also introduced. A brief introduction to the various classes of stainless steels, their precipitate phases and the status quo of their production around the globe is given first. The advances in a variety of subject areas that have been made recently will then be presented. These recent advances include (1) new findings on the various precipitate phases (the new J phase, new orientation relationships, new phase diagram for the Fe–Cr system, etc.); (2) new suggestions for the prevention/mitigation of the different problems and new methods for their detection/measurement and (3) new techniques for surface/bulk property enhancement (such as laser shot peening, grain boundary engineering and grain refinement). Recent developments in topics like phase prediction, stacking fault energy, superplasticity, metadynamic recrystallisation and the calculation of mechanical properties are introduced, too. In the end of this article, several new applications that involve the use of stainless steels are presented. Some of these are the use of austenitic stainless steels for signature authentication (magnetic recording), the utilisation of the cryogenic magnetic transition of the sigma phase for hot spot detection (the Sigmaplugs), the new Pt-enhanced radiopaque stainless steel (PERSS) coronary stents and stainless steel stents that may be used for magnetic drug targeting. Besides recent developments in conventional stainless steels, those in the high-nitrogen, low-Ni (or Ni-free) varieties are also introduced. These recent developments include new methods for attaining very high nitrogen contents, new guidelines for alloy design, the merits/demerits associated with high nitrogen contents, etc.