The fatigue fracture behavior of four ultrahigh strength steels with different melting processes and therefore different inclusion sizes were studied by using a rotating bar two-point bending fatigue machine in the hi...The fatigue fracture behavior of four ultrahigh strength steels with different melting processes and therefore different inclusion sizes were studied by using a rotating bar two-point bending fatigue machine in the high-cycle regime up to 107 cycles of loading. The fracture surfaces were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). It was found that the size of inclusion has significant effect on the fatigue behavior. For AtSI 4340 steel in which the inclusion size is smaller than 5.5 μm, all the fatigue cracks except one did not initiated from inclusion but from specimen surface and conventional S-N curve exists. For 65Si2MnWE and Aermet 100 steels in which the average inclusion sizes are 12.2 and 14.9 μm, respectively, fatigue cracks initiated from inclusions at lower stress amplitudes and stepwise S-N curves were observed. The S-N curve displays a continuous decline and fatigue failures originated from large oxide inclusion for 60Si2CrVA steel in which the average inclusion size is 44.4 pro. In the case of internal inclusion-induced fractures at cycles beyond about 1×10^6 for 65Si2MnWE and 60Si2CrVA steels, inclusion was always found inside the fish-eye and a granular bright facet (GBF) was observed in the vicinity around the inclusion. The GBF sizes increase with increasing the number of cycles to failure Nf in the long-life regime. The values of stress intensity factor range at crack initiation site for the GBF are almost constant with Nf, and are almost equal to that for the surface inclusion and the internal inclusion at cycles lower than about 1×10^6. Neither fish-eye nor GBF was observed for Aermet 100 steel in the present study.展开更多
This article examines fatigue crack nucleation and propagation in laser deposited TC18 titanium alloy. The Widmanstatten structure was obtained by double-annealing treatment,. High-cycle fatigue (HCF) tests were con...This article examines fatigue crack nucleation and propagation in laser deposited TC18 titanium alloy. The Widmanstatten structure was obtained by double-annealing treatment,. High-cycle fatigue (HCF) tests were conducted at room temperature with the stress ratio of 0.1 and the notch concentration factor Kt = 1. Fatigue cracks initiated preferentially at micropores, which had great effect on the HCF properties. The effect decreased with the decrease of pore size and the increase of distance from the pore location to the specimen surface. The crack initiation region was characterized by the cleavage facets of a lamella and the tearing of β matrix. The soft a precipitated-free zone formed along grain boundaries accelerated the crack propagation. Subsurface observation indicated that the crack preferred to propagate along the grain boundary α or border of a lamella or vertical to a lamella.展开更多
The present work shows that the addition of small volume fractions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to the matrix results in a significant increase in the high-cycle fatigue life. It is proposed that carbon n...The present work shows that the addition of small volume fractions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to the matrix results in a significant increase in the high-cycle fatigue life. It is proposed that carbon nanotubes tend to inhibit the formation of large cracks by nucleating nano-scale damage zones. In addition, the contribution to energy absorption from the fracture of nanotubes bridging across nano-scale cracks and from nanotube pull-out from the matrix are mechanisms that can improve the fatigue life. An energy-based model was proposed to estimate the additional strain energy absorbed in fatigue. The distributed nanotubes in the matrix appear to both distribute damage as well as inhibit damage propagation resulting in an overall improvement in the fatigue strength of glass fiber composites.展开更多
In this study,the tensile and high-cycle fatigue properties of as-cast,solid solution treated and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Y alloy are investigated.The results show that the yield strength and ultimate tensile st...In this study,the tensile and high-cycle fatigue properties of as-cast,solid solution treated and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Y alloy are investigated.The results show that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of as-cast alloy is 198.1 MPa and 222.5 MPa,which are improved to 274.7 MPa and 321.7 MPa,282.4 MPa and 319.3 MPa after solid solution and extrusion treatment,respectively.The high-cycle fatigue strength(at 10^(7)cycles,R=-1)of as-cast studied alloy is 65 MPa,which is improved to 90 MPa and 105 MPa after solid solution and extrusion treatment,respectively.The improvement of fatigue property of the solid solution treated alloy is mainly due to the lattice distortion caused by solid solution hindering the crack propagation.However,the improvement of fatigue property of the as-extruded alloy is mainly due to that the refined grains,stacked dislocations and dispersed secondary particles impede the crack propagation.展开更多
This paper presents a criterion for high-cycle fatigue life and fatigue strength estimation under periodic proportional and non-proportional cyclic loading. The criterion is based on the mean and maximum values of the...This paper presents a criterion for high-cycle fatigue life and fatigue strength estimation under periodic proportional and non-proportional cyclic loading. The criterion is based on the mean and maximum values of the second invariant of the stress deviator. Important elements of the criterion are: function of the non-proportionality of fatigue loading and the materials parameter that expresses the materials sensitivity to non-proportional loading. The methods for the materials parameters determination uses three S–N curves: tension–compression, torsion, and any non-proportional loading proposed. The criterion has been verified using experimental data, and the results are included in the paper. These results should be considered as promising. The paper also includes a proposal for multiaxial fatigue models classification due to the approach for the nonproportionality of loading.展开更多
High-cycle rotating bending fatigue behavior of SRR99 nickel-base single crystal alloy at 700 and 900℃ was investigated. The fatigue strengths for 107 cycles are 350 and 335MPa at 700 and 900℃, respectively. T...High-cycle rotating bending fatigue behavior of SRR99 nickel-base single crystal alloy at 700 and 900℃ was investigated. The fatigue strengths for 107 cycles are 350 and 335MPa at 700 and 900℃, respectively. The total fatigue life becomes shorter when the temperature increases regardless of the loading stress and frequency. With the number of cycles decreasing, the difference in fatigue strength at the two temperatures becomes smaller. Typical fatigue rupture process including crack initiation site, crack propagation region and final rupture region exhibits at 700℃. The fracture surface is basically characterized by cleavage rupture at 900℃.展开更多
High-cycle fatigue (HCF) behavior of as-forged-T5 Mg-Zn-Y-Zr wrought alloy with stress-ratio R=-1 at ambient environment was presented. The relationship between the maximum stress and the number of cycles to failure w...High-cycle fatigue (HCF) behavior of as-forged-T5 Mg-Zn-Y-Zr wrought alloy with stress-ratio R=-1 at ambient environment was presented. The relationship between the maximum stress and the number of cycles to failure was constructed. The results show that the fatigue strength at 107 cycles of the as-forged alloy in T5 state is higher than that of the alloy in T4 state. However, in T6 state, the fatigue strength at 107 cycles is higher than those of the alloys in both T5 and T4 states.展开更多
This paper addresses the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo, which suffer from substantial vibrational loading at small stress am...This paper addresses the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo, which suffer from substantial vibrational loading at small stress amplitude, high stress ratio, and high frequency in the high-temperature environments in which they fimcfion as blade and rotor spindle materials in advanced gas or steam turbine engines. Fatigue tests were performed on alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo subjected to constant-amplitude loading at four stress ratios and at four and three temperatures, respectively, to determine their temperature-dependent HCF properties. The interaction mechanisms between high temperature and stress ratio were deduced and compared with each other on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. A phenomenological model was developed to evaluate the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent HCF properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.展开更多
The high-cycle fatigue performance of different microstructures of aluminide coating- superalloy system has been studied at 900℃.The single phase coating of coarse equiaxial grain NiAI(β)has unfavorable eJfect onJat...The high-cycle fatigue performance of different microstructures of aluminide coating- superalloy system has been studied at 900℃.The single phase coating of coarse equiaxial grain NiAI(β)has unfavorable eJfect onJatigue life of the coating-superalloy.The fatigue life may shorten if the coating of NiAl(β)was an enrichment of coarse refractory metal grains. While an improvement can be made by dispersing numerous secondary phase particles such as extreme.fine γ′,quasi-σ-phase and others.展开更多
Based on the investigation of the tensile properties of spray formed ultra-high strength Al10.8Zn2.9Mg1.9Cu alloys, the high-cycle fatigue properties under different theoretical stress concentration factors were inves...Based on the investigation of the tensile properties of spray formed ultra-high strength Al10.8Zn2.9Mg1.9Cu alloys, the high-cycle fatigue properties under different theoretical stress concentration factors were investigated, the fatigue fracture surfaces and microstructures were observed, and the fatigue mechanism was discussed. The results indicate that the ultimate tensile strength of spray formed Al10.8Zn2.9Mg1.9Cu alloys can reach up to 730?740 MPa, and the elongation is about 8%?10% under the condition of two-stage aging treatment. For the stress ratio is 0.1, the maximum stress for 107 cycles is over 400 MPa and 120 MPa, when the theoretical stress concentration factor is 1 and 3, respectively.展开更多
The need for very-high-cycle fatigue(VHCF)testing up to 1010cycles of aviation gas turbine engine blade materials under combined mechanical loads and complex environments has encouraged the development of VHCF testing...The need for very-high-cycle fatigue(VHCF)testing up to 1010cycles of aviation gas turbine engine blade materials under combined mechanical loads and complex environments has encouraged the development of VHCF testing instrumentation and technology.This article begins with a comprehensive review of the existing available techniques that enable VHCF testing.Recent advances in ultrasonic fatigue testing(UFT)techniques are highlighted,containing their new capabilities and methods for single load,multiaxial load,variable amplitude fatigue,and combined cycle fatigue.New techniques for conducting UFT in high-temperature,humid environments,and corrosive environments are summarized.These developments in mechanical loading and environmental building techniques provide the possibility of laboratory construction for real service conditions of blade materials.New techniques that can be used for in situ monitoring of VHCF damage are summarized.Key issues in the UFT field are presented,and countermeasures are collated.Finally,the existing problems and future trends in the field are briefly described.展开更多
Fatigue properties of high-strength steels become more and more sensitive to inclusions with enhancing the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) because the inclusions often cause a relatively low fatigue strength and a lar...Fatigue properties of high-strength steels become more and more sensitive to inclusions with enhancing the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) because the inclusions often cause a relatively low fatigue strength and a large scatter of fatigue lives. In this work, four S–N curves and more than 200 fatigue fracture morphologies were comprehensively investigated with a special focus on the size and type of inclusions at the fatigue cracking origin in GCr15 steel with a wide strength range by different heat treatments after high-cycle fatigue (HCF). It is found that the percentage of fatigue failure induced by the inclusion including Al2 O3 and TiN gradually increases with increasing the UTS, while the percentage of failure at sample surfaces decreases conversely and the fatigue strength first increases and then decreases. Besides, it is interestingly noted that the inclusion sizes at the cracking origin for TiN are smaller than that for Al2 O3 because the stress concentration factor for TiN is larger than that for Al2 O3 based on the finite element simulation. For the first time, a new fatigue cracking criterion including the isometric inclusion size line in the strength-toughness coordinate system with specific physical meaning was established to reveal the relationship among the UTS, fracture toughness, and the critical inclusion size considering different types of inclusions based on the fracture mechanics. And the critical inclusion size of Al2 O3 is about 1.33 times of TiN. The fatigue cracking criterion could be used to judge whether fatigue fracture occurred at inclusions or not and provides a theoretical basis for controlling the scale of different inclusion types for high-strength steels. Our work may offer a new perspective on the critical inclusion size in terms of the inclusion types, which is of scientific interest and has great merit to industrial metallurgical control for anti-fatigue design.展开更多
Laser shock peening (LSP) is a novel effective surface treatment method to improve the fatigue performance of turbine blades. To study the effect of LSP on combined low- and high-cycle fatigue (CCF) life of turbin...Laser shock peening (LSP) is a novel effective surface treatment method to improve the fatigue performance of turbine blades. To study the effect of LSP on combined low- and high-cycle fatigue (CCF) life of turbine blades, the CCF tests were conducted at elevated temperatures on two types of full-scale turbine blades, which were made of K403 by casting and GH4133B by forging. Probabilistic analysis was conducted to find out the effect of LSP on fatigue life of those two kinds of blades. The results indicated that LSP extended the CCF life of both casting blades and forging blades obviously, and the effect of LSP on casting blades was more evident; besides, a threshold vibration stress existed for both casting blades and forging blades, and the CCF life tended to be extended by LSP only when the vibration stress was below the threshold vibra- tion stress. Further study of fractography was also conducted, indicating that due to the presence of compressive residual stress and refined grains induced by LSP, the crack initiation sources in LSP blades were obviously less, and the life of LSP blades was also longer; since the compressive residual stress was released by plastic deformation, LSP had no effect or adverse effect on CCF life of blade when the vibration stress of blade was above the threshold vibration stress.展开更多
Mg-Al-Zn-Ca-Y alloys with excellent ignition and corrosion resistances—termed SEN alloys(where the letters"S,""E,"and"N"stand for stainless,environmentally friendly,and non-flammable,res...Mg-Al-Zn-Ca-Y alloys with excellent ignition and corrosion resistances—termed SEN alloys(where the letters"S,""E,"and"N"stand for stainless,environmentally friendly,and non-flammable,respectively)—have been developed recently.In this study,the microstructure,tensile properties,and high-cycle fatigue properties of an extruded Mg-9.0Al-0.8Zn-0.1Mn-0.3Ca-0.2Y(SEN9)alloy are investigated and compared with those of a commercial Mg-9.0Al-0.8Zn-0.1Mn(AZ91)alloy extruded under the same conditions.Both the extruded SEN9 alloy and the extruded AZ91 alloy have a fully recrystallized structure comprising equiaxed grains,but the former has a smaller average grain size owing to the promoted dynamic recrystallization during extrusion.The extruded AZ91 alloy contains coarse Mg_(17)Al_(12) discontinuous precipitate(DP)bands parallel to the extrusion direction,which are formed during its cool down after extrusion.In contrast,the extruded SEN9 alloy contains relatively fine undissolved Al_(2)Ca,Al_(8)Mn_(4)Y,and Al_(2)Y second-phase particles,which are formed during the solidification stage of the casting process.The tensile strength of the extruded SEN9 alloy,which has finer grains and more abundant particles,is slightly higher than that of the extruded AZ91 alloy.However,the difference in their strengths is relatively small because the stronger solid-solution hardening and precipitation hardening effects in the extruded AZ91alloy offset the stronger grain-boundary hardening and dispersion hardening effects in the extruded SEN9alloy to some extent.The tensile elongation of the extruded AZ91 alloy is significantly lower than that of the extruded SEN9 alloy because the large cracks formed in the DP bands in the former cause its premature fracture.Although the extruded SEN9 alloy has higher tensile properties than the extruded AZ91alloy,the high-cycle fatigue life and fatigue strength of the former are shorter and lower,respectively,than those of the latter.The DP bands in the extruded AZ91 alloy do not act as fatigue crack initiation sites,and therefore,fatigue cracks initiate on the specimen surface at all stress amplitude levels.In contrast,in most of the fatigue-fractured specimens of the extruded SEN9 alloy,fatigue cracks initiate on the undissolved Al_(2)Ca and Al_(2)Y particles present on the surface or subsurface of the specimens because of the high local stress concentration on the particles during cyclic loading.This particle-initiated fatigue fracture eventually decreases the high-cycle fatigue resistance of the extruded SEN9 alloy.展开更多
Objective This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of Fructus lycii in improving exercise fatigue.Methods A network pharmacological approach was used to explore potential mechanisms of actio...Objective This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of Fructus lycii in improving exercise fatigue.Methods A network pharmacological approach was used to explore potential mechanisms of action of Fructus lycii.Skeletal muscle C2C12 cells and immunofluorescence were employed to verify the effect and mechanism of the representative components in Fructus lycii predicted by network pharmacological analysis.Results Six potential active components,namely quercetin,β-sitosterol,stigmasterol,7-Omethylluteolin-6-C-beta-glucoside_qt,atropine,and glycitein,were identified to have potency in improving exercise fatigue via multiple pathways,such as the PI3K-Akt,neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,IL-17,TNF,and MAPK signaling pathways.The immunofluorescence results indicated that quercetin,a significant active component in Fructus lycii,increased the mean staining area of 2-NBDG,TMRM,and MitoTracker,and decreased the area of CellRox compared to the control.Furthermore,the protein expression levels of p-38 MAPK,p-MAPK,p-JNK,p-PI3K,and p-AKT markedly increased after quercetin treatment.Conclusion Fructus lycii might alleviate exercise fatigue through multiple components and pathways.Among these,quercetin appears to improve exercise fatigue by enhancing energy metabolism and reducing oxidative stress.The PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways also appear to play a role in this process.展开更多
Driving fatigue is a physiological phenomenon that often occurs during driving.After the driver enters a fatigued state,the attentionis lax,the response is slow,and the ability todeal with emergencies is significantly...Driving fatigue is a physiological phenomenon that often occurs during driving.After the driver enters a fatigued state,the attentionis lax,the response is slow,and the ability todeal with emergencies is significantly reduced,which can easily cause traffic accidents.Therefore,studying driver fatigue detectionmethods is significant in ensuring safe driving.However,the fatigue state of actual drivers is easily interfered with by the external environment(glasses and light),which leads to many problems,such as weak reliability of fatigue driving detection.Moreover,fatigue is a slow process,first manifested in physiological signals and then reflected in human face images.To improve the accuracy and stability of fatigue detection,this paper proposed a driver fatigue detection method based on image information and physiological information,designed a fatigue driving detection device,built a simulation driving experiment platform,and collected facial as well as physiological information of drivers during driving.Finally,the effectiveness of the fatigue detection method was evaluated.Eye movement feature parameters and physiological signal features of drivers’fatigue levels were extracted.The driver fatigue detection model was trained to classify fatigue and non-fatigue states based on the extracted features.Accuracy rates of the image,electroencephalogram(EEG),and blood oxygen signals were 86%,82%,and 71%,separately.Information fusion theory was presented to facilitate the fatigue detection effect;the fatigue features were fused using multiple kernel learning and typical correlation analysis methods to increase the detection accuracy to 94%.It can be seen that the fatigue driving detectionmethod based onmulti-source feature fusion effectively detected driver fatigue state,and the accuracy rate was higher than that of a single information source.In summary,fatigue drivingmonitoring has broad development prospects and can be used in traffic accident prevention and wearable driver fatigue recognition.展开更多
Strong anisotropic corrosion and mechanical properties caused by specimen orientations greatly limit the applications of wrought magnesium alloys.To investigate the influences of specimen orientation,the corrosion tes...Strong anisotropic corrosion and mechanical properties caused by specimen orientations greatly limit the applications of wrought magnesium alloys.To investigate the influences of specimen orientation,the corrosion tests and(corrosion)fatigue crack growth tests were conducted.The rolled and transverse surfaces of the materials show distinct corrosion rate differences in the stable corrosion stage,but the truth is the opposite for the initial stage of corrosion.In air,specimen orientations have a significant influence on the plastic deformation mechanisms near the crack tip,which results in different fatigue fracture surfaces and cracking paths.Compared with R-T specimens,N-T specimens show a slower fatigue crack growth(FCG)rate in air,which can be attributed to crack closure effects and deformation twinning near the crack tip.The corrosion environment will not significantly change the main plastic deformation mechanisms for the same type of specimen.However,the FCG rate in phosphate buffer saline(PBS)is one order of magnitude higher than that in air,which is caused by the combined effects of hydrogen-induced cracking and anodic dissolution.Owing to the similar corrosion rates at crack tips,the specimens with different orientations display close FCG rates in PBS.展开更多
The increase in payload capacity of trucks has heightened the demand for cost-effective yet high performance brake discs.In this work,the thermal fatigue and wear of compacted graphite iron brake discs were investigat...The increase in payload capacity of trucks has heightened the demand for cost-effective yet high performance brake discs.In this work,the thermal fatigue and wear of compacted graphite iron brake discs were investigated,aiming to provide an experimental foundation for achieving a balance between their thermal and mechanical properties.Compacted graphite iron brake discs with different tensile strengths,macrohardnesses,specific heat capacities and thermal diffusion coefficients were produced by changing the proportion and strength of ferrite.The peak temperature,pressure load and friction coefficient of compacted graphite iron brake discs were analyzed through inertia friction tests.The morphology of thermal cracks and 3D profiles of the worn surfaces were also discussed.It is found that the thermal fatigue of compacted graphite iron discs is determined by their thermal properties.A compacted graphite iron with the highest specific heat capacity and thermal diffusion coefficient exhibits optimal thermal fatigue resistance.Oxidization of the matrix at low temperatures significantly weakens the function of alloy strengthening in hindering the propagation of thermal cracks.Despite the reduced hardness,increasing the ferrite proportion can mitigate wear loss resulting from low disc temperatures and the absence of abrasive wear.展开更多
Purpose–This review aims to give a critical view of the wheel/rail high frequency vibration-induced vibration fatigue in railway bogie.Design/methodology/approach–Vibration fatigue of railway bogie arising from the ...Purpose–This review aims to give a critical view of the wheel/rail high frequency vibration-induced vibration fatigue in railway bogie.Design/methodology/approach–Vibration fatigue of railway bogie arising from the wheel/rail high frequency vibration has become the main concern of railway operators.Previous reviews usually focused on the formation mechanism of wheel/rail high frequency vibration.This paper thus gives a critical review of the vibration fatigue of railway bogie owing to the short-pitch irregularities-induced high frequency vibration,including a brief introduction of short-pitch irregularities,associated high frequency vibration in railway bogie,typical vibration fatigue failure cases of railway bogie and methodologies used for the assessment of vibration fatigue and research gaps.Findings–The results showed that the resulting excitation frequencies of short-pitch irregularity vary substantially due to different track types and formation mechanisms.The axle box-mounted components are much more vulnerable to vibration fatigue compared with other components.The wheel polygonal wear and rail corrugation-induced high frequency vibration is the main driving force of fatigue failure,and the fatigue crack usually initiates from the defect of the weld seam.Vibration spectrum for attachments of railway bogie defined in the standard underestimates the vibration level arising from the short-pitch irregularities.The current investigations on vibration fatigue mainly focus on the methods to improve the accuracy of fatigue damage assessment,and a systematical design method for vibration fatigue remains a huge gap to improve the survival probability when the rail vehicle is subjected to vibration fatigue.Originality/value–The research can facilitate the development of a new methodology to improve the fatigue life of railway vehicles when subjected to wheel/rail high frequency vibration.展开更多
Background:Cancer-related fatigue(CRF)is a common and debilitating symptom experienced by patients with advanced-stage cancer,especially those undergoing antitumor therapy.This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and...Background:Cancer-related fatigue(CRF)is a common and debilitating symptom experienced by patients with advanced-stage cancer,especially those undergoing antitumor therapy.This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Renshenguben(RSGB)oral solution,a ginseng-based traditional Chinese medicine,in alleviating CRF in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)receiving antitumor treatment.Methods:In this prospective,open-label,controlled,multicenter study,patients with advanced HCC at BCLC stage C and a brief fatigue inventory(BFI)score of≥4 were enrolled.Participants were assigned to the RSGB group(RSGB,10 mL twice daily)or the control group(with supportive care).Primary and secondary endpoints were the change in multidimensional fatigue inventory(MFI)score,and BFI and functional assessment of cancer therapy-hepatobiliary(FACT-Hep)scores at weeks 4 and 8 after enrollment.Adverse events(AEs)and toxicities were assessed.Results:A total of 409 participants were enrolled,with 206 assigned to the RSGB group.At week 4,there was a trend towards improvement,but the differences were not statistically significant.At week 8,the RSGB group exhibited a significantly lower MFI score(P<0.05)compared to the control group,indicating improved fatigue levels.Additionally,the RSGB group showed significantly greater decrease in BFI and FACT-Hep scores at week 8(P<0.05).Subgroup analyses among patients receiving various antitumor treatments showed similar results.Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that the RSGB group experienced a significantly substantial decrease in MFI,BFI,and FACT-Hep scores at week 8.No serious drug-related AEs or toxicities were observed.Conclusions:RSGB oral solution effectively reduced CRF in patients with advanced HCC undergoing antitumor therapy over an eight-week period,with no discernible toxicities.These findings support the potential of RSGB oral solution as an adjunctive treatment for managing CRF in this patient population.展开更多
基金the National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China under grant No.2004CB619104.
文摘The fatigue fracture behavior of four ultrahigh strength steels with different melting processes and therefore different inclusion sizes were studied by using a rotating bar two-point bending fatigue machine in the high-cycle regime up to 107 cycles of loading. The fracture surfaces were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). It was found that the size of inclusion has significant effect on the fatigue behavior. For AtSI 4340 steel in which the inclusion size is smaller than 5.5 μm, all the fatigue cracks except one did not initiated from inclusion but from specimen surface and conventional S-N curve exists. For 65Si2MnWE and Aermet 100 steels in which the average inclusion sizes are 12.2 and 14.9 μm, respectively, fatigue cracks initiated from inclusions at lower stress amplitudes and stepwise S-N curves were observed. The S-N curve displays a continuous decline and fatigue failures originated from large oxide inclusion for 60Si2CrVA steel in which the average inclusion size is 44.4 pro. In the case of internal inclusion-induced fractures at cycles beyond about 1×10^6 for 65Si2MnWE and 60Si2CrVA steels, inclusion was always found inside the fish-eye and a granular bright facet (GBF) was observed in the vicinity around the inclusion. The GBF sizes increase with increasing the number of cycles to failure Nf in the long-life regime. The values of stress intensity factor range at crack initiation site for the GBF are almost constant with Nf, and are almost equal to that for the surface inclusion and the internal inclusion at cycles lower than about 1×10^6. Neither fish-eye nor GBF was observed for Aermet 100 steel in the present study.
基金financially supported by the Cheung Kong Scholars Innovative Research Team Program of Ministry of Education, China (No. IRT0805)the State Key Basic Research Program of China (No. 2011CB606305)
文摘This article examines fatigue crack nucleation and propagation in laser deposited TC18 titanium alloy. The Widmanstatten structure was obtained by double-annealing treatment,. High-cycle fatigue (HCF) tests were conducted at room temperature with the stress ratio of 0.1 and the notch concentration factor Kt = 1. Fatigue cracks initiated preferentially at micropores, which had great effect on the HCF properties. The effect decreased with the decrease of pore size and the increase of distance from the pore location to the specimen surface. The crack initiation region was characterized by the cleavage facets of a lamella and the tearing of β matrix. The soft a precipitated-free zone formed along grain boundaries accelerated the crack propagation. Subsurface observation indicated that the crack preferred to propagate along the grain boundary α or border of a lamella or vertical to a lamella.
基金Funded in Part by a Grant from Entropy Research Laboratories, San Francisco, California, USA
文摘The present work shows that the addition of small volume fractions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to the matrix results in a significant increase in the high-cycle fatigue life. It is proposed that carbon nanotubes tend to inhibit the formation of large cracks by nucleating nano-scale damage zones. In addition, the contribution to energy absorption from the fracture of nanotubes bridging across nano-scale cracks and from nanotube pull-out from the matrix are mechanisms that can improve the fatigue life. An energy-based model was proposed to estimate the additional strain energy absorbed in fatigue. The distributed nanotubes in the matrix appear to both distribute damage as well as inhibit damage propagation resulting in an overall improvement in the fatigue strength of glass fiber composites.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51771115,51775334 and 51821001)Joint Fund for Space Science and Technology(Nos.6141B06310106 and 6141B06300401)National Defense Science and Technology Innovation Special Zone Project(No.002-002-01)。
文摘In this study,the tensile and high-cycle fatigue properties of as-cast,solid solution treated and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Y alloy are investigated.The results show that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of as-cast alloy is 198.1 MPa and 222.5 MPa,which are improved to 274.7 MPa and 321.7 MPa,282.4 MPa and 319.3 MPa after solid solution and extrusion treatment,respectively.The high-cycle fatigue strength(at 10^(7)cycles,R=-1)of as-cast studied alloy is 65 MPa,which is improved to 90 MPa and 105 MPa after solid solution and extrusion treatment,respectively.The improvement of fatigue property of the solid solution treated alloy is mainly due to the lattice distortion caused by solid solution hindering the crack propagation.However,the improvement of fatigue property of the as-extruded alloy is mainly due to that the refined grains,stacked dislocations and dispersed secondary particles impede the crack propagation.
文摘This paper presents a criterion for high-cycle fatigue life and fatigue strength estimation under periodic proportional and non-proportional cyclic loading. The criterion is based on the mean and maximum values of the second invariant of the stress deviator. Important elements of the criterion are: function of the non-proportionality of fatigue loading and the materials parameter that expresses the materials sensitivity to non-proportional loading. The methods for the materials parameters determination uses three S–N curves: tension–compression, torsion, and any non-proportional loading proposed. The criterion has been verified using experimental data, and the results are included in the paper. These results should be considered as promising. The paper also includes a proposal for multiaxial fatigue models classification due to the approach for the nonproportionality of loading.
文摘High-cycle rotating bending fatigue behavior of SRR99 nickel-base single crystal alloy at 700 and 900℃ was investigated. The fatigue strengths for 107 cycles are 350 and 335MPa at 700 and 900℃, respectively. The total fatigue life becomes shorter when the temperature increases regardless of the loading stress and frequency. With the number of cycles decreasing, the difference in fatigue strength at the two temperatures becomes smaller. Typical fatigue rupture process including crack initiation site, crack propagation region and final rupture region exhibits at 700℃. The fracture surface is basically characterized by cleavage rupture at 900℃.
文摘High-cycle fatigue (HCF) behavior of as-forged-T5 Mg-Zn-Y-Zr wrought alloy with stress-ratio R=-1 at ambient environment was presented. The relationship between the maximum stress and the number of cycles to failure was constructed. The results show that the fatigue strength at 107 cycles of the as-forged alloy in T5 state is higher than that of the alloy in T4 state. However, in T6 state, the fatigue strength at 107 cycles is higher than those of the alloys in both T5 and T4 states.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51375033 and 51405006)
文摘This paper addresses the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo, which suffer from substantial vibrational loading at small stress amplitude, high stress ratio, and high frequency in the high-temperature environments in which they fimcfion as blade and rotor spindle materials in advanced gas or steam turbine engines. Fatigue tests were performed on alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo subjected to constant-amplitude loading at four stress ratios and at four and three temperatures, respectively, to determine their temperature-dependent HCF properties. The interaction mechanisms between high temperature and stress ratio were deduced and compared with each other on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. A phenomenological model was developed to evaluate the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent HCF properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.
文摘The high-cycle fatigue performance of different microstructures of aluminide coating- superalloy system has been studied at 900℃.The single phase coating of coarse equiaxial grain NiAI(β)has unfavorable eJfect onJatigue life of the coating-superalloy.The fatigue life may shorten if the coating of NiAl(β)was an enrichment of coarse refractory metal grains. While an improvement can be made by dispersing numerous secondary phase particles such as extreme.fine γ′,quasi-σ-phase and others.
基金Project(2001AA332030) supported by the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China
文摘Based on the investigation of the tensile properties of spray formed ultra-high strength Al10.8Zn2.9Mg1.9Cu alloys, the high-cycle fatigue properties under different theoretical stress concentration factors were investigated, the fatigue fracture surfaces and microstructures were observed, and the fatigue mechanism was discussed. The results indicate that the ultimate tensile strength of spray formed Al10.8Zn2.9Mg1.9Cu alloys can reach up to 730?740 MPa, and the elongation is about 8%?10% under the condition of two-stage aging treatment. For the stress ratio is 0.1, the maximum stress for 107 cycles is over 400 MPa and 120 MPa, when the theoretical stress concentration factor is 1 and 3, respectively.
基金funded by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(Grant No.51925504)the National Key R and D Program of China(Grant No.2018YFF01012400)+4 种基金the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2022YFA1604000)the National Major Scientific Research Instrument Development Project(Grant No.52227810)the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52021003)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52075220)the Jilin Provincial Department of Science and Technology Fund Project(Grant No.20210101056JC)。
文摘The need for very-high-cycle fatigue(VHCF)testing up to 1010cycles of aviation gas turbine engine blade materials under combined mechanical loads and complex environments has encouraged the development of VHCF testing instrumentation and technology.This article begins with a comprehensive review of the existing available techniques that enable VHCF testing.Recent advances in ultrasonic fatigue testing(UFT)techniques are highlighted,containing their new capabilities and methods for single load,multiaxial load,variable amplitude fatigue,and combined cycle fatigue.New techniques for conducting UFT in high-temperature,humid environments,and corrosive environments are summarized.These developments in mechanical loading and environmental building techniques provide the possibility of laboratory construction for real service conditions of blade materials.New techniques that can be used for in situ monitoring of VHCF damage are summarized.Key issues in the UFT field are presented,and countermeasures are collated.Finally,the existing problems and future trends in the field are briefly described.
基金financially sup-ported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(Grant Nos.52001310,52130002,and 51771208)the Strategic Pri-ority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDC04040502)+3 种基金the National Science and Technology Major Project(No.J2019-VI-0019-0134)Outstanding Postgraduate Inno-vative Research Project of Institute of Metal Research,CAS(No.1193002090)KC Wong Education Foundation(No.GJTD-2020-09)Institute of Metal Research Innovation Fund(No.2023-ZD01).
文摘Fatigue properties of high-strength steels become more and more sensitive to inclusions with enhancing the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) because the inclusions often cause a relatively low fatigue strength and a large scatter of fatigue lives. In this work, four S–N curves and more than 200 fatigue fracture morphologies were comprehensively investigated with a special focus on the size and type of inclusions at the fatigue cracking origin in GCr15 steel with a wide strength range by different heat treatments after high-cycle fatigue (HCF). It is found that the percentage of fatigue failure induced by the inclusion including Al2 O3 and TiN gradually increases with increasing the UTS, while the percentage of failure at sample surfaces decreases conversely and the fatigue strength first increases and then decreases. Besides, it is interestingly noted that the inclusion sizes at the cracking origin for TiN are smaller than that for Al2 O3 because the stress concentration factor for TiN is larger than that for Al2 O3 based on the finite element simulation. For the first time, a new fatigue cracking criterion including the isometric inclusion size line in the strength-toughness coordinate system with specific physical meaning was established to reveal the relationship among the UTS, fracture toughness, and the critical inclusion size considering different types of inclusions based on the fracture mechanics. And the critical inclusion size of Al2 O3 is about 1.33 times of TiN. The fatigue cracking criterion could be used to judge whether fatigue fracture occurred at inclusions or not and provides a theoretical basis for controlling the scale of different inclusion types for high-strength steels. Our work may offer a new perspective on the critical inclusion size in terms of the inclusion types, which is of scientific interest and has great merit to industrial metallurgical control for anti-fatigue design.
基金This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11602010 and 51505018).
文摘Laser shock peening (LSP) is a novel effective surface treatment method to improve the fatigue performance of turbine blades. To study the effect of LSP on combined low- and high-cycle fatigue (CCF) life of turbine blades, the CCF tests were conducted at elevated temperatures on two types of full-scale turbine blades, which were made of K403 by casting and GH4133B by forging. Probabilistic analysis was conducted to find out the effect of LSP on fatigue life of those two kinds of blades. The results indicated that LSP extended the CCF life of both casting blades and forging blades obviously, and the effect of LSP on casting blades was more evident; besides, a threshold vibration stress existed for both casting blades and forging blades, and the CCF life tended to be extended by LSP only when the vibration stress was below the threshold vibra- tion stress. Further study of fractography was also conducted, indicating that due to the presence of compressive residual stress and refined grains induced by LSP, the crack initiation sources in LSP blades were obviously less, and the life of LSP blades was also longer; since the compressive residual stress was released by plastic deformation, LSP had no effect or adverse effect on CCF life of blade when the vibration stress of blade was above the threshold vibration stress.
基金supported by the National Research Council of Science&Technology(NST)grant(No.CRC-15-06-KIGAM)funded by the Korea government(MSIP)。
文摘Mg-Al-Zn-Ca-Y alloys with excellent ignition and corrosion resistances—termed SEN alloys(where the letters"S,""E,"and"N"stand for stainless,environmentally friendly,and non-flammable,respectively)—have been developed recently.In this study,the microstructure,tensile properties,and high-cycle fatigue properties of an extruded Mg-9.0Al-0.8Zn-0.1Mn-0.3Ca-0.2Y(SEN9)alloy are investigated and compared with those of a commercial Mg-9.0Al-0.8Zn-0.1Mn(AZ91)alloy extruded under the same conditions.Both the extruded SEN9 alloy and the extruded AZ91 alloy have a fully recrystallized structure comprising equiaxed grains,but the former has a smaller average grain size owing to the promoted dynamic recrystallization during extrusion.The extruded AZ91 alloy contains coarse Mg_(17)Al_(12) discontinuous precipitate(DP)bands parallel to the extrusion direction,which are formed during its cool down after extrusion.In contrast,the extruded SEN9 alloy contains relatively fine undissolved Al_(2)Ca,Al_(8)Mn_(4)Y,and Al_(2)Y second-phase particles,which are formed during the solidification stage of the casting process.The tensile strength of the extruded SEN9 alloy,which has finer grains and more abundant particles,is slightly higher than that of the extruded AZ91 alloy.However,the difference in their strengths is relatively small because the stronger solid-solution hardening and precipitation hardening effects in the extruded AZ91alloy offset the stronger grain-boundary hardening and dispersion hardening effects in the extruded SEN9alloy to some extent.The tensile elongation of the extruded AZ91 alloy is significantly lower than that of the extruded SEN9 alloy because the large cracks formed in the DP bands in the former cause its premature fracture.Although the extruded SEN9 alloy has higher tensile properties than the extruded AZ91alloy,the high-cycle fatigue life and fatigue strength of the former are shorter and lower,respectively,than those of the latter.The DP bands in the extruded AZ91 alloy do not act as fatigue crack initiation sites,and therefore,fatigue cracks initiate on the specimen surface at all stress amplitude levels.In contrast,in most of the fatigue-fractured specimens of the extruded SEN9 alloy,fatigue cracks initiate on the undissolved Al_(2)Ca and Al_(2)Y particles present on the surface or subsurface of the specimens because of the high local stress concentration on the particles during cyclic loading.This particle-initiated fatigue fracture eventually decreases the high-cycle fatigue resistance of the extruded SEN9 alloy.
基金funded by China’s National Key R&D Programmers for“Hi-Tech Winter Olympics”Special Project[2020YFF0305001]。
文摘Objective This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of Fructus lycii in improving exercise fatigue.Methods A network pharmacological approach was used to explore potential mechanisms of action of Fructus lycii.Skeletal muscle C2C12 cells and immunofluorescence were employed to verify the effect and mechanism of the representative components in Fructus lycii predicted by network pharmacological analysis.Results Six potential active components,namely quercetin,β-sitosterol,stigmasterol,7-Omethylluteolin-6-C-beta-glucoside_qt,atropine,and glycitein,were identified to have potency in improving exercise fatigue via multiple pathways,such as the PI3K-Akt,neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,IL-17,TNF,and MAPK signaling pathways.The immunofluorescence results indicated that quercetin,a significant active component in Fructus lycii,increased the mean staining area of 2-NBDG,TMRM,and MitoTracker,and decreased the area of CellRox compared to the control.Furthermore,the protein expression levels of p-38 MAPK,p-MAPK,p-JNK,p-PI3K,and p-AKT markedly increased after quercetin treatment.Conclusion Fructus lycii might alleviate exercise fatigue through multiple components and pathways.Among these,quercetin appears to improve exercise fatigue by enhancing energy metabolism and reducing oxidative stress.The PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways also appear to play a role in this process.
基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(GrantNo.IR2021222)received by J.Sthe Future Science and Technology Innovation Team Project of HIT(216506)received by Q.W.
文摘Driving fatigue is a physiological phenomenon that often occurs during driving.After the driver enters a fatigued state,the attentionis lax,the response is slow,and the ability todeal with emergencies is significantly reduced,which can easily cause traffic accidents.Therefore,studying driver fatigue detectionmethods is significant in ensuring safe driving.However,the fatigue state of actual drivers is easily interfered with by the external environment(glasses and light),which leads to many problems,such as weak reliability of fatigue driving detection.Moreover,fatigue is a slow process,first manifested in physiological signals and then reflected in human face images.To improve the accuracy and stability of fatigue detection,this paper proposed a driver fatigue detection method based on image information and physiological information,designed a fatigue driving detection device,built a simulation driving experiment platform,and collected facial as well as physiological information of drivers during driving.Finally,the effectiveness of the fatigue detection method was evaluated.Eye movement feature parameters and physiological signal features of drivers’fatigue levels were extracted.The driver fatigue detection model was trained to classify fatigue and non-fatigue states based on the extracted features.Accuracy rates of the image,electroencephalogram(EEG),and blood oxygen signals were 86%,82%,and 71%,separately.Information fusion theory was presented to facilitate the fatigue detection effect;the fatigue features were fused using multiple kernel learning and typical correlation analysis methods to increase the detection accuracy to 94%.It can be seen that the fatigue driving detectionmethod based onmulti-source feature fusion effectively detected driver fatigue state,and the accuracy rate was higher than that of a single information source.In summary,fatigue drivingmonitoring has broad development prospects and can be used in traffic accident prevention and wearable driver fatigue recognition.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52175143 and 51571150)。
文摘Strong anisotropic corrosion and mechanical properties caused by specimen orientations greatly limit the applications of wrought magnesium alloys.To investigate the influences of specimen orientation,the corrosion tests and(corrosion)fatigue crack growth tests were conducted.The rolled and transverse surfaces of the materials show distinct corrosion rate differences in the stable corrosion stage,but the truth is the opposite for the initial stage of corrosion.In air,specimen orientations have a significant influence on the plastic deformation mechanisms near the crack tip,which results in different fatigue fracture surfaces and cracking paths.Compared with R-T specimens,N-T specimens show a slower fatigue crack growth(FCG)rate in air,which can be attributed to crack closure effects and deformation twinning near the crack tip.The corrosion environment will not significantly change the main plastic deformation mechanisms for the same type of specimen.However,the FCG rate in phosphate buffer saline(PBS)is one order of magnitude higher than that in air,which is caused by the combined effects of hydrogen-induced cracking and anodic dissolution.Owing to the similar corrosion rates at crack tips,the specimens with different orientations display close FCG rates in PBS.
基金supported by the Science and Technology Innovation Development Project of Yantai(No.2023ZDX016)。
文摘The increase in payload capacity of trucks has heightened the demand for cost-effective yet high performance brake discs.In this work,the thermal fatigue and wear of compacted graphite iron brake discs were investigated,aiming to provide an experimental foundation for achieving a balance between their thermal and mechanical properties.Compacted graphite iron brake discs with different tensile strengths,macrohardnesses,specific heat capacities and thermal diffusion coefficients were produced by changing the proportion and strength of ferrite.The peak temperature,pressure load and friction coefficient of compacted graphite iron brake discs were analyzed through inertia friction tests.The morphology of thermal cracks and 3D profiles of the worn surfaces were also discussed.It is found that the thermal fatigue of compacted graphite iron discs is determined by their thermal properties.A compacted graphite iron with the highest specific heat capacity and thermal diffusion coefficient exhibits optimal thermal fatigue resistance.Oxidization of the matrix at low temperatures significantly weakens the function of alloy strengthening in hindering the propagation of thermal cracks.Despite the reduced hardness,increasing the ferrite proportion can mitigate wear loss resulting from low disc temperatures and the absence of abrasive wear.
基金The author sincerely appreciates the help provided by the research team(Wheel/rail interaction,Vibration and Noise Research Team)and CRRC.In addition,this study has also been supported by Science and Technology Research Plan of China Railway General Corporation(No.P2019J002,N2022J009)China Association of Science and Technology Young Talent Support Project(No.2019QNRC001)+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation(No.U1934203)Sichuan Science and Technology Program(No.2022NSFSC0469,2023NSFSC0374,2023YFH0049).
文摘Purpose–This review aims to give a critical view of the wheel/rail high frequency vibration-induced vibration fatigue in railway bogie.Design/methodology/approach–Vibration fatigue of railway bogie arising from the wheel/rail high frequency vibration has become the main concern of railway operators.Previous reviews usually focused on the formation mechanism of wheel/rail high frequency vibration.This paper thus gives a critical review of the vibration fatigue of railway bogie owing to the short-pitch irregularities-induced high frequency vibration,including a brief introduction of short-pitch irregularities,associated high frequency vibration in railway bogie,typical vibration fatigue failure cases of railway bogie and methodologies used for the assessment of vibration fatigue and research gaps.Findings–The results showed that the resulting excitation frequencies of short-pitch irregularity vary substantially due to different track types and formation mechanisms.The axle box-mounted components are much more vulnerable to vibration fatigue compared with other components.The wheel polygonal wear and rail corrugation-induced high frequency vibration is the main driving force of fatigue failure,and the fatigue crack usually initiates from the defect of the weld seam.Vibration spectrum for attachments of railway bogie defined in the standard underestimates the vibration level arising from the short-pitch irregularities.The current investigations on vibration fatigue mainly focus on the methods to improve the accuracy of fatigue damage assessment,and a systematical design method for vibration fatigue remains a huge gap to improve the survival probability when the rail vehicle is subjected to vibration fatigue.Originality/value–The research can facilitate the development of a new methodology to improve the fatigue life of railway vehicles when subjected to wheel/rail high frequency vibration.
基金This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81972726,82273074 and 82372813)Dawn Project Foundation of Shanghai(21SG36)+2 种基金Shanghai Health Academic Leader Program(2022XD001)the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai(22ZR1477900)Adjunct Talent Fund of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital(2021-YT).
文摘Background:Cancer-related fatigue(CRF)is a common and debilitating symptom experienced by patients with advanced-stage cancer,especially those undergoing antitumor therapy.This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Renshenguben(RSGB)oral solution,a ginseng-based traditional Chinese medicine,in alleviating CRF in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)receiving antitumor treatment.Methods:In this prospective,open-label,controlled,multicenter study,patients with advanced HCC at BCLC stage C and a brief fatigue inventory(BFI)score of≥4 were enrolled.Participants were assigned to the RSGB group(RSGB,10 mL twice daily)or the control group(with supportive care).Primary and secondary endpoints were the change in multidimensional fatigue inventory(MFI)score,and BFI and functional assessment of cancer therapy-hepatobiliary(FACT-Hep)scores at weeks 4 and 8 after enrollment.Adverse events(AEs)and toxicities were assessed.Results:A total of 409 participants were enrolled,with 206 assigned to the RSGB group.At week 4,there was a trend towards improvement,but the differences were not statistically significant.At week 8,the RSGB group exhibited a significantly lower MFI score(P<0.05)compared to the control group,indicating improved fatigue levels.Additionally,the RSGB group showed significantly greater decrease in BFI and FACT-Hep scores at week 8(P<0.05).Subgroup analyses among patients receiving various antitumor treatments showed similar results.Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that the RSGB group experienced a significantly substantial decrease in MFI,BFI,and FACT-Hep scores at week 8.No serious drug-related AEs or toxicities were observed.Conclusions:RSGB oral solution effectively reduced CRF in patients with advanced HCC undergoing antitumor therapy over an eight-week period,with no discernible toxicities.These findings support the potential of RSGB oral solution as an adjunctive treatment for managing CRF in this patient population.