How semi-coherent b.c.c. hydride interfacial interactions affect the inelastic deformation and fracture behavior of h.c.p. zirconium alloys

Abstract We analyzed how b.c.c.  semi-coherent interfaces, within an h.c.p. matrix, have a central effect on the fracture of these multi-phase aggregates. We obtained 36 unique Orientation Relations (ORs) related to semi-coherent interfaces between the hydrides and the parent matrix, and calculated interfacial misfit strains between the matrix and hydride crystalline structures. We then coupled these microstructural interactions to a dislocation-density framework with a fracture nucleation and propagation approach to understand and predict different failure scenarios. The analysis indicates that misfit strains have a dominant mechanistic effect that is essential for an understanding of multi-phase crystalline aggregate behavior that spans different length scales.