Low cycle fatigue behaviour of β treated zirconium: partial irreversibility of twinning and consequences for damage Original Research Article

The aim of this study is to understand the low cycle fatigue behaviour of β treated zirconium. It focuses especially on the contribution of twinning mechanisms. In situ fatigue tests performed inside a scanning electron microscope allow the observation of the activation of twins and their partial reversibility, depending on the applied stress. Moreover, the acoustic signature (shape factor) of the different twinning systems has been characterized allowing the following of inception and evolution of twins during the fatigue tests. Finally, the consequence of such a partial irreversibility on damage and crack localization is shown.