CYCLIC SOFTENING IN HOT-WORKING DIE STEELS DURING LOW-CYCLE FATIGUE

The characteristics and microstructural changes of cyclic softening in hot-working die steels 5CrNiMo and 5Cr2NiMoVSi were studied under strain controlled low-cycle fatigue.The re- sults show that the cyclic softening is featured in both steels hardened in different conditions under the strain controlled amplitude range of Δε_t/2=0.6-1.8×10^(-2).The softening effect mainly occurs in some initial cycles and the stress amplitude varies slightly in the sequential cycles,i.e.the softening effect is minified.No obvious stress saturation phenomenon was ob- served during the whole cyclic deformation.The TEM analysis shows that the cyclic softening is related to heterogenity of plastic deformation.The softening of the tested steels is caused by the formation of the dislocation cell structure with low density and low internal stress,and by the fragmentation and redissolution of fine carbides into matrix.

Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior and Cyclic Softening of P92 Ferritic-martensitic Steel

The low cycle fatigue （LCF） behavior of P92 martensitic steel was investigated under different controlled strain amplitudes at room and high temperatures （873 K）. The cyclic stress responses at all temperatures and strain amplitudes exhibited obviously rapid softening behavior at the early stage of fatigue life, and there was no saturated stage at high temperature. The fracture surfaces of the fatigue samples were observed by scanning electron microsco py （SEM） and optical microscopy. It was shown that crack initiation and propagation occurred transgranularly at both testing temperatures. A typical character was the high density crack branches or secondary cracks along fatigue striations at high temperature, which initiated from the oxidized inclusions and grain boundaries. Further investiga- tion by transmission electron microscopy （TEM） showed that the softening behavior was attributed to the micro- structure evolution during fatigue life, such as annihilation of dislocations and migration of martensite laths as well as carbide coarsening, especially for samples tested at high temperature.

Effect of Rare Earth Elements on Low Frequency Fatigue Cyclic Softening of Hot Rolled Steel 60CrMnMo at High Temperature

The effect of rare earth (RE) on cyclic softening of low frequency fatigue of the hot rolled steel 60CrMnMo at high temperature was investigated. The hardness of specimens before thermal fatigue test and being cycled 180 times from room temperature to 650℃ was compared. The results show that by adding a certain amount of RE in steel 60CrMnMo, the cyclic softening during low frequency fatigue test at high temperature can be restrained considerly. The carbide particles were refined during tempering treatment and the agglomeration and growth of carbide particles can be obstructed during thermal cycle.

Experimental Study on the Uniaxial Cyclic Deformation of 25CDV4.11 Steel

The strain cyclic characteristics and ratcheting behavior of 25CDV4.11 steel were studied by the experiments under uniaxial cyclic loading with relatively high cyclic number and at room temperature. The cyclic hardening/softening feature of the material was first observed under the uniaxial strain cycling with various strain amplitudes. Then, the ratcheting behavior of the material was researched in detail, and the effects of stress amplitude and mean stress on the ratcheting were discussed under uniaxial asymmetrical stress cycling. Comparing with the experimental results of SS316L stainless steel, it is concluded that the material exhibits remarkable cyclic softening feature, and then a special ratcheting behavior is caused. Some conclusions useful to establish corresponding constitutive model are obtained.

Experimental study on the stability of plate anchors in clay under cyclic loading

Although the bearing capacity of plate anchors in clay has been studied extensively, the results considering the effects of offshore cyclic loading are relatively rare. In the present study, 1g model tests are carried out to investigate the effect of cyclic loading on the bearing capacity of plate anchors in clay. The ultimate pullout capacity of plate anchors in clay decreases as the accumulated plastic shear strain grows due to the strain-softening of clay under cyclic loading. The load-displacement curves of these tests are presented and the effects of overburden stress and cyclic loading amplitude on the strain-softening behavior are discussed.

Thermal fatigue behavior of niobium microalloyed H13 steel

AISI H13 hot work tool steel is widely used for hot forging, hot-extrusion and die-casting because of its high temperature strength, impact toughness, heat checking resistance and wear resistance, etc. The thermally induced surface damage, i. e., thermal fatigne,is believed to be controlled by the magnitude of the imposed cyclic strain. The thermal fatigue on the surface of hot working die, which is responsible to the initiation of the cracks, is reported to result in more than 80 % of the failure of dies.

LOW CYCLE FATIGUE OF Cr-Mn-N STAINLESS STEEL

An investigation was conducted to examine the low cycle symmetric push-pull fatigue behaviour of the Cr-Mn-N dual-phase stainless steel.Two groups of specimens,A and B, were used,they were solution treated at 1050 and 1250℃,respectively.The.fatigue life of group A is almost twice as long as that of group B under the same total strain amplitude.The energy loss during the fatigue tests and the mophology of the fracture surfaces have been stu- died and discussed.

High Temperature Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior of GH4742 Alloy

High temperature low cycle fatigue tests on GH4742 superalloy were studied under the total strain-con- trolled conditions at 650 ℃. Combined with fatigue test data, fatigue properties of the alloy were analyzed. Fracture morphology and dislocation structure were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron mi- croscopy. The results showed that fatigue life and fatigue resistance of GH4742 alloy decreased significantly with in- creasing total strain amplitude. The cyclic hardening, cyclic softening and cyclic stability phenomena of the alloy oc- curred during the low cycle fatigue process. The increasing total strain amplitude is conducive to the formation of γ1 phase. Fatigue crack propagation is controlled jointly by ductile and brittle fracture. Inhomogeneous deformation and deformation restricted in slip bands are the main reasons for the reduction of fatigue life of GH4742 alloy.