A review of the various effects of a vacuum environment on the fatigue behavior of metals

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Environmental factors affect the fracture behavior of metals. Among these factors, vacuum has important effects on the fatigue behavior of metals, the most important of which is the increase in fatigue life. Many researchers have sought to find the reason for the change in the behavior of materials in a vacuum, and each of them has reported different factors and mechanisms for this behavior. Vacuum plays an effective role in removing surface oxidation, reducing the adsorption of interfacial gases such as oxygen and hydrogen, and changing the mechanisms of crack initiation and growth. The removal of oxide layers in a vacuum increases the toughness of the crack tip, transfers the crack initiation from the surface to the interior of the material, and in many cases, the occurrence of fish-eye fractures, which results in a significant increase in fatigue life in high-cycle fatigue. Also, the role of hydrogen as a destructive agent is significantly reduced in a vacuum, leading to an increase in the crack growth threshold and a decrease in the growth rate. The results of the present review indicate that the use of a vacuum can be an effective strategy to improve the durability of structures in sensitive applications such as aerospace components. In this paper, the results obtained by researchers in this field are listed and compiled.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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AUT Journal of Mechanical Engineering
Volume 10, Issue 1
January 2026
Pages 89-106

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