Participation of IK4-AZTERLAN in the 36th Conference of the Spanish Group of Fracture

Researchers from the IK4-AZTERLAN Metallurgy Research Centre have presented two papers within the official program of the Congress, both focused on modeling the degradation of biomaterial structures and on the crack generation in materials under hydrogen fragilization phenomena.

The 36th Conference of the Spanish Group of Fracture has taken place in Seville on April 3rd-5th. A reference yearly technical event where researchers and professionals specialized in diverse fields related to the integrity of materials and structures share the latest research works and technological advances linked to this field of knowledge.

This 36th edition has gathered 104 different papers and presentations distributed through diverse areas of application (from nanotechnology to civil engineering) where the performance in service and the fracture mechanics from materials play an important role. The extensive program covers many different specialties such as fracture of materials (metallic materials, minerals, ceramic materials, polymeric materials, compound materials, biological materials and biomaterials), fatigue and interaction with the environment, analytical and numerical methods and modeling, experimental techniques, applications, case studies on engineering and security and durability of structures.

Under the title “Modeling of the degradation of the mechanical resistance of porous biodegradable structures”, the first presentation from IK4-AZTERLAN Metallurgy Research Centre shared the combined model developed to study the degradation and loss of mechanical properties in biodegradable porous materials used in regenerative medicine. For that purpose, the research team has simulated the superficial degradation suffered by these structures in physiological media and has estimated both, the rigidity and the breaking charge in every moment during the degradation. The results of the model settle a relationship between the temporary evolution of the microstructure, the loss of mass, the elastic module and the breaking charge. This research work has been developed along with CEIT-IK4 and TECNUN.

The second the presentation of IK4-AZTERLAN, “Modelling by finite differences of crack growth in materials under hydrogen fragilization phenomena” performed by PhD. Garikoitz Artola (coordinator of the Forming Technologies for Solid State Metallic Materials of IK4-AZTERLAN) has shared with the audience the strategy adopted to simulate the evolution of cracks in anchoring steel chains due to hydrogen fragilization phenomena. To perform this model, after observing different hydrogen-induced cracking patterns in low speed deformation tensile tests, the research team has applied the equivalent deformation compensation concept.

PhD. Garikoitz Artola, researcher from IK4-AZTERLAN, during the presentation of the work “Modelling by finite differences of crack growth in materials under hydrogen fragilization phenomena”

Fracture mechanics and modeling capacities of IK4-AZTERLAN

IK4-AZTERLAN Metallurgy Research Centre has wide R&D and testing capabilities oriented towards the study and the improvement of the resistance of metallic materials and components exposed to hydrogen fragilization phenomena. Among the tests performed in this field fracture toughness tests, KIC, JIC, Fracture Crack Growth Rates and CTOD tests (both at room temperature and at low temperature) performed by the Physical and Mechanical Properties laboratory of the Technology Center, as well as the HIC (Hydrogen Induced Cracking) and the SSC (Sulphide Stress Cracking) performed by the Materials Corrosion and Protection area.

The Technology Centre also has a Calculus and Modeling Centre that, among other activities, develops simulations of the behavior of components in different application environments with the purpose of achieving high performance materials and components.