MULTIAXIAL CREEP-FATIGUE LIFE EVALUATION UNDER PROPORTIONAL LOADING

A new method was proposed for the multiaxial creep-fatigue life evaluation under proportional loadings. Because this method was derived from the strain range partitioning method with a multiaxiality factor, it was possible to consider the influence of both creep-fatigue interaction and multiaxial stress state on fatigue life. In order to predict the combined axial-torsional fatigue life the damage under combined loading was defined as linear summation of the damages under axial loading and torsional loading. Axial-torsional creep-fatigue tests were carried out using tubular specimens of 316LC austenitic stainless steel and the ferritic rotor steel. This rotor steel was developed for the permanent magnet type eddy current retarder in heavy trucks. Experimentally obtained lives of both steels were well corresponded with the lives predicted by the proposed method. It was found that the proposed method was effective in multiaxial fatigue life evaluation under proportional creep-fatigue loadings.

Fatigue characteristics and microcosmic mechanism of Al-Si-Mg alloys under multiaxial proportional loadings

With the increasing use of Al-Si-Mg alloys in the automotive industry,the fatigue performance of Al-Si-Mg alloy has become a major concern with regard to their reliability.The fatigue characteristics and microcosmic mechanism of an Al-Si-Mg alloy under multiaxial proportional loadings were investigated in this research.As low cycle fatigue life and material strengthening behavior are closely related,the effect of equivalent strain amplitude on the multiaxial fatigue properties was analyzed.Fatigue tests were conducted to determine the influence of equivalent strain amplitude on the multiaxial proportional fatigue properties.The fatigue life exhibits a stable behavior under multiaxial proportional loadings.The dislocation structures of the Al-Si-Mg alloy were observed by transmission electron microscopy（TEM）.The dislocation structure evolution of the Al-Si-Mg alloy under multiaxial proportional loadings during low cycle fatigue develops step by step by increasing fatigue cycles.Simultaneously,the dislocation structure changes with the change in equivalent strain amplitude under multiaxial proportional loadings.The experimental evidence indicates that the multiaxial fatigue behavior and life are strongly dependent on the microstructure of the material,which is caused by multiaxial proportional loadings.

Energy dissipation and contour integral characterizing fracture behavior of incremental plasticity

J ep -integral is derived for characterizing the frac- ture behavior of elastic-plastic materials. The J ep -integral differs from Rice’s J-integral in that the free energy density rather than the stress working density is employed to define energy-momentum tensor. The J ep -integral is proved to be path-dependent regardless of incremental plasticity and deformation plasticity. The J epintegral possesses clearly clear physical meaning： （1） the value J ep tip evaluated on the infinitely small contour surrounding the crack tip represents the crack tip energy dissipation; （2） when the global steadystate crack growth condition is approached, the value of J ep farss calculated along the boundary contour equals to the sum of crack tip dissipation and bulk dissipation of plastic zone. The theoretical results are verified by simulating mode I crack problems.

A UNIFIED MULTIAXIAL FATIGUE DAMAGE PARAMETER

According to the critical plane principle, a unified multiaxialfatigue damage parameter is presented based on the varying behaviourof the strains on the critical plane. Both the parameters of themaximum shear strain amplitude and normal strain excursion betweenadjacent turning points of the maximum shear strain on the criticalplane are considered in the multiaxial fatigue damage parme- terpresented. An equivalent strain amplitude is made with bothparameters of the maximun shear strain amplitude and normal strainexcursion by means of von Mises criterion. Thus a new multiaxialfatigue damage model is given based on the critical plane approach.

Characterization of the asymmetric evolving yield and flow of 6016-T4 aluminum alloy and DP490 steel

6016-T4 aluminum alloy and DP490 steel were systematically tested under 24 proportional loading paths,including uniaxial tensile tests with a 15°increment,uniaxial compressive and simple shear tests with a 45°increment,and biaxial tensile tests using cruciform specimens.Cruciform specimens in the rolling/transverse and 45°/135°sampling directions were tested with seven and four different stress ra-tios,respectively.The normal and diagonal planes plastic work contours and the yield stresses under uniaxial tension and compression were measured to investigate the anisotropic yield.Meanwhile,the normal and diagonal planes directions of plastic strain rate and the rα-values under uniaxial tension and compression were characterized to confirm the plastic flow.Several existing asymmetric yield crite-ria under the associated and non-associated flow rules were comprehensively evaluated to describe the asymmetric plastic anisotropy of 6016-T4 aluminum alloy and DP490 steel.The results suggest that in the investigated yield criteria,the non-associated models can predict the tension and compression asym-metry of materials more accurately than the associated models,and the function of stress triaxiality can more effectively describe the asymmetric yield behavior than the first stress invariant.In addition,the pure shear stress states are helpful in assessing the validity and applicability of advanced asymmetric yield stress functions,and the inspection of diagonal plane plastic work contours containing more pure shear stress states should prioritized over that of normal plane plastic work contours.The evaluation of plastic potential functions should not only consider the prediction accuracy of the normal plane di-rections of plastic strain rate,but also further check the diagonal plane directions of plastic strain rate.Expressing mechanical properties as a function of equivalent plastic strain to calibrate parameters of the yield criterion allows the continuous capture of anisotropic evolution of the asymmetric yield surface and the changes in the asymmetric plastic potential surface.