Numerical simulation of fatigue crack propagation in heterogeneous geomaterials under varied loads using displacement discontinuity method

Heterogeneous brittle geomaterials are highly susceptible to cyclic loads.They contain inherent flaws and cracks that grow under fatigue loads and lead to failure.This study presents a numerical model for analyzing fatigue in these materials based on the two-dimensional(2D)boundary element method and linear elastic fracture mechanics.The process is formulated by coupling the displacement discontinuity method with the incorporation technique of dissimilar regions and the governing equations of fatigue.The heterogeneous media are assumed to consist of materials with different properties,and the interfaces are assumed to be completely bonded.In addition,the domains include multiple cracks exposed to constant and variable amplitude cyclic loads.The stress intensity factor is a crucial parameter in fatigue analysis,which is determined using the displacement field around crack tips.An incremental crack growth scheme is applied to calculating the fatigue life.The growth rate values are employed to estimate the length of crack extension when there are multiple cracks.The interaction between cracks is considered,which also includes the coalescence phenomenon.Finally,various structures under different cyclic loads are examined to evaluate the accuracy of this method.The results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach in modeling fatigue crack growth and life estimation.The behavior of life curves for the heterogeneous domain was as expected.These curves illustrate the breakpoints caused by utilizing discrete incremental life equations.At these points,the trend of the curves changed with the material properties and fatigue characteristics of the new material around the crack tips.

Fatigue Crack Growth Rate of Ti-6Al-4V Considering the Effects of Fracture Toughness and Crack Closure

Fatigue fracture is one of the main failure modes of Ti-6A1-4V alloy,fracture toughness and crack closure have strong effects on the fatigue crack growth（FCG）rate of Ti-6A1-4V alloy.The FCG rate of Ti-6A1-4V is investigated by using experimental and analytical methods.The effects of stress ratio,crack closure and fracture toughness on the FCG rate are studied and discussed.A modified prediction model of the FCG rate is proposed,and the relationship between the fracture toughness and the stress intensity factor（SIF）range is redefined by introducing a correcting coefficient.Notched plate fatigue tests（including the fracture toughness test and the FCG rate test）are conducted to investigate the influence of affecting factors on the FCG rate.Comparisons between the predicted results of the proposed model,the Paris model,the Walker model,the Sadananda model,and the experimental data show that the proposed model gives the best agreement with the test data particularly in the near-threshold region and the Paris region,and the corresponding calculated fatigue life is also accurate in the same regions.By considering the effects of fracture toughness and crack closure,the novel FCG rate prediction model not only improves the estimating accuracy,but also extends the adaptability of the FCG rate prediction model in engineering.

The Effect of Atmospheric Plasma Paint Stripping on the Fatigue Crack Growth Properties of Aluminium Substrates

Paint removal is a common maintenance requirement for aircraft as well as naval and land vehicles, since external paint gets damaged and loses much of its corrosion protection effectiveness with time. Paint removal is also conducted when metallic aircraft structures are inspected periodically for fatigue cracks and corrosion. The conventional methods of removing paint employed throughout the Canadian Forces mainly include chemical stripping and abrasive media blasting. Chemical stripping involves the use of hazardous chemicals, which are high in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP). Abrasive media blasting typically results in a substantial quantity of solid waste consisting of paint and blast residues. Such waste is subject to control under increasingly stringent environmental and safety regulations and its disposal is costly. The new Atmospheric Plasma (AP) paint removal process purports to be a high chemical energy, low thermal energy (cold plasma process), that should not damage temperature sensitive substructures, such as heat treated aerospace aluminium alloys. Fatigue strength is one of the key properties in aircraft structures. In order for AP paint stripping to be accepted as an aerospace industry standard paint removal process, it must be thoroughly tested to demonstrate that it does not adversely affect the fatigue properties of the substrate. This paper investigates effect of the paint removal process on fatigue crack growth of 7075-T6 and 2024-T3 aluminium panels.

Finite Element Method Investigation of the Effect of Cold Expansion Process on Fatigue Crack Growth in 6082 Aluminum Alloy

Cold expansion is an efficient way to improve the fatigue life of an open hole. In this paper, three finite element models have been established to crack growth from an expanded hole is simulated. Expansion and its degree influence are studied using a numerical analysis. Stress intensity factors are determined and used to evaluate the fatigue life. The residual stress field is evaluated using a nonlinear analysis and superposed with the applied stress field in order to estimate fatigue crack growth. Experimental test is conducted under constant loading. The results of this investigation indicate expansion and its degree are a benefit of fatigue life and a good agreement was observed between FEM simulations and experimental results.

Simulation of Fatigue Life Behavior of Circular Cross-Section Bar with Straight-Fronted Crack

In this paper, fatigue life circular cross-section elastic bar under pure fatigue axial loading is studied through principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) coupled with the three-dimensional finite element technique for determination of critical crack size and residual lifetime. Three different initial notch depths are discussed. The relations between aspect ratio (b/c) and relative crack depth (b/D) are obtained, and it is shown that there is great difference in the growth of cracks with different front shapes and initial notch depths.

Study on Fatigue Lifetimes and Their Variation of Mg Alloy AZ61 at Various Stress Ratios

In this study, fatigue tests under different R ratios were conducted on the AZ61 Mg alloy to investigate its fatigue lifetimes and fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior. The fracture surface of the failed specimens was investigated using a scanning electron microscope to study the size of the intermetallic compounds from which the pioneer fatigue crack initiated and led to the final failure of the specimen. To determine the maximum size of the intermetallic compounds existing within the cross section of the specimen at higher risk, Gumbel’s extreme-value statistics were utilized. In the present study, the intermetallic compounds contained within the specimen were assumed to be the initial cracks existing in the material before the fatigue tests. A modified linear elastic fracture-mechanics parameter, M, proposed by McEvily et al., was used to analyze the short FCG behavior under different stress ratios, R. The relation between the rate of FCG and M parameter was found to be useful and appropriate for predicting the fatigue lifetimes under different R ratios. Moreover, the probabilistic stress-fatigue life (P-S-N) curve of the material under different R ratios could be predicted with this method, which utilizes both the FCG law and a statistical distribution of sizes of the most dangerous intermetallic compounds. The evaluated results were in good agreement with the experimental ones. This correspondence indicates that the estimation method proposed in the present study is effective for evaluation of the probabilistic stress-fatigue life (P-S-N) curve of the material under different R ratios.

The Effects of Fatigue Cracks on Fastener Loads during Cyclic Loading and on the Stresses Used for Crack Growth Analysis in Classical Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics Approaches

High strength threaded fasteners are widely used in the aircraft industry, and service experience shows that for structures where shear loading of the joints is significant, like skin splices, fuselage joints or spar caps-web attachments, more cracks are initiated and grow from the edges of the fastener holes than from features like fillets radii and corners or from large access holes. The main causes of this cracking are the stress concentrations introduced by the fastener holes and by the threaded fasteners themselves, with the most common damage site being at the edge of the fastener holes. Intuitively, it is easy to visualize that after the crack initiation, during the growth stages, some of the load transferred initially by the fastener at the cracked hole will decrease, and it will be shed to the adjacent fasteners that will carry higher loads than in uncracked condition. Using currently available computer software, the method presented in this paper provides a relatively quick and quantitatively defined solution to account for the effects of crack length on the fastener loads transfer, and on the far field and bypass loads at each fastener adjacent to the crack. At each location, these variations are determined from the 3-dimensional distribution of stresses in the joint, and accounting for secondary bending effects and fastener tilt. Two cases of a typical skins lap splice with eight fasteners in a two rows configuration loaded in tension are presented and discussed, one representative for wing or fuselage skins configurations, and the second case representative for cost effective laboratory testing. Each case presents five cracking scenarios, with the cracks growing from approx. 0.03 inch to either the free edge, next hole or both simultaneously.

CFRP-OFBG板加固损伤钢梁抗弯疲劳试验及其寿命预测研究

为研究采用碳纤维增强复合材料(CFRP)加固后钢梁的疲劳性能,采用自主研发的具有自监测性能的智能碳纤维-光纤光栅板(CFRP-OFBG板)加固受损钢梁,在完成常幅荷载四点弯曲疲劳试验的基础上,研究不同应力幅作用下CFRP-OFBG板加固钢梁的疲劳性能。借助有限元方法,建立“三维实体”有限元模型,结合J积分计算方法求解得到加固钢梁裂纹尖端的应力强度因子,基于线弹性断裂力学理论建立疲劳裂纹扩展模型,对CFRP-OFBG板加固钢梁的疲劳裂纹扩展寿命进行预测。研究表明:CFRP-OFBG板的加固作用可有效提高受损钢梁的疲劳寿命,延缓裂纹扩展速率,改善裂纹尖端的受力状态,降低裂纹尖端的应力强度因子;在循环荷载作用下,CFRP-OFBG板加固试件的疲劳寿命均随着应力幅的增大呈现递减趋势。将试验结果与预测结果相比较,发现加固试件疲劳寿命预测值比试验值略高,分析认为,这主要是因为在有限元模拟时没有考虑到试验中CFRP-OFBG板的局部剥离。

Studies on the effect of weld defect on the fatigue behavior of welded structures

Structural integrity isstated as the science and technology of margin between safety and disaster. Systematic prediction of structural integrity of critical structures such ascombustion chambers,pressure vessels,nuclear reactor components,boilers etc.,ensures the human safety,environmental protection,and the economical considerations.The present work aims at prediction of fatigue behaviour of symmetric structures like pressure vessels in the presence of common welding defects such as lack of fusion( LOF),lack of penetration( LOP) and porosity.A ring type specimen which replicates the stress pattern in thepressure vessel is considered for the study of severity of weld imperfections. Initial dimensions of weld defects are arrived by performing NDT inspection.Crack growth analysis is carried out to determine the remaining life of the welded joint with defects.

A two-parameter model to predict fatigue life of high-strength steels in a very high cycle fatigue regime

In this paper, ultrasonic （20 kHz） fatigue tests were performed on specimens of a high-strength steel in very high cycle fatigue （VHCF） regime. Experimental results showed that for most tested specimens failed in a VHCF regime, a fatigue crack originated from the interior of specimen with a fish-eye pattern, which contained a fine granular area （FGA） centered by an inclusion as the crack origin. Then, a two-parameter model is proposed to predict the fatigue life of high-strength steels with fish-eye mode failure in a VHCF regime, which takes into account the inclusion size and the FGA size. The model was verified by the data of present experiments and those in the literature. Furthermore, an analytic formula was obtained for estimating the equivalent crack growth rate within the FGA. The results also indicated that the stress intensity factor range at the front of the FGA varies within a small range, which is irrespective of stress amplitude and fatigue life.

Influence of shrinkage porosity on fatigue performance of iron castings and life estimation method

Shrinkage porosity exists more or less in heavy castings, and it plays an important role in the fatigue behavior of cast materials. In this study, fatigue tests were carried out on the QT400-18 cast iron specimens containing random degrees of shrinkage porosity defect. Experimental results showed that the order of magnitude of life scattered from 103 to 106 cycles when the shrinkage percentage ranged from 0.67% to 5.91%. SEM analyses were carried out on the shrinkage porosity region. The inter-granular discontinuous, micro cracks and inclusions interfered with the fatigue sliding or hindering process. The slip in shrinkage porosity region was not as orderly as the ordinary continuous medium. The shrinkage porosity area on fracture surface(SPAFS) and alternating stress intensity factor(ASIF) were applied to evaluate the tendency of residual life distribution; their relationship was fitted by negative exponent functions. Based on the intermediate variable of ASIF, a fatigue life prediction model of nodular cast iron containing shrinkage porosity defects was established. The modeling prediction was in agreement with the experimental results.

Modal and Fatigue Life Analysis on Beam with Multiple Cracks Subjected to Axial Force

Based on the transfer matrix method and Forman equation,a new method is proposed to conduct the modal and fatigue life analysis of a beam with multiple transverse cracks.In the modal analysis,the damping loss factor is introduced by the complex elastic modulus,bending springs without mass are used to replace the transverse cracks,and the characteristic transfer matrix of the whole cracked beam can be derived.In the fatigue life analysis,considering the interaction of the beam vibration and fatigue cracks growth,the fatigue life of the cracked beam is predicted by the timing analysis method.Numerical calculation shows that cracks have a significant influence on the modal and fatigue life of the beam.

Effect of Notch Location on Fatigue Life Prediction of Strength Mismatched HSLA Steel Weldments

Welding of high strength low alloy steels (HSLA) involves usage of low, even and high strength filler materials (electrodes) than the parent material depending on the application of the welded structures and the availability of the filler material. In the present investigation, the fatigue crack growth behaviour of weld metal (WM) and heat affected zone (HAZ) regions of under matched (UM), equal matched (EM) and over matched (OM) joints has been studied. The base material used in this investigation is HSLA-80 steel of weldable grade. Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process has been used to fabricate the butt joints. Centre cracked tension (CCT) specimen has been used to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behaviour of the welded joints. Fatigue crack growth experiments have been conducted using servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine at constant amplitude loading (R=0).A method has been proposed to predict the fatigue life of HSLA steel welds using fracture mechanics approach by incorporating influences of mismatch ratio (MMR) and notch location.

Effects of Pitting Corrosion on the Fatigue Behavior of Q235 Steel

In order to analyze the distribution and characterizations of corrosion pits on the corroded surface,the steel surface data was measured. Based on the method of the interacting pits,the types of pits corresponding to different exposure time were observed and categorized for completely understanding the effects on the fatigue behavior. The results showed that the conditions for estimating whether the pits interfere with each other should not be ignored; exposure time with 2 years was a critical time. The exposure time and the interacting pits can observably reduce the fatigue life of corroded steel. From these conclusions,the method of fatigue crack growth rate with the multi-pits interaction(FCGR-MPI) was developed and used to predict the fatigue behavior of corroded steel affected with the interacting pits. The predicted lives were also well agreed with the experimental results.

Fatigue Life Evaluation Method for Foundry Crane Metal Structure Considering Load Dynamic Response and Crack Closure Effect

To compensate for the shortcomings of quasi-static law in anti-fatigue analysis of foundry crane metal structures,the fatigue life evaluation method of foundry crane metal structure considering load dynamic response and crack closure effect is proposed.In line with the theory of mechanical vibration,a dynamic model of crane structure during the working cycle is constructed,and dynamic coefficients under diverse actions are analysed.Calculation models of the internal force dynamic change process of dangerous cross-sections and a simulation model of first principal stress-time history are established by using the steel structure design criteria,which is utilised to extract the change of first principal stress of danger points over time.Then,the double-parameter stress spectrum is obtained by the rain flow counting method.The fatigue life calculation formula is corrected by introducing a crack closure parameter that can be calculated by the stress ratio and the effective stress ratio.Under the finite element model imported into Msc.Patran,crack propagation analysis is performed by the growth method in the fatigue integration module Msc.Fatigue.Taking the metal structure of a 100/40t-28.5m foundry crane with track offset as an example,the accuracy of calculation results and the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method are verified by theoretical calculation and finite element simulation,which provide a theoretical basis for improvement of the fatigue resistance design of foundry cranes.

Investigating fatigue behavior of gear components with the acoustic emission technique

A novel method is presented to evaluate the complicated fatigue behavior of gears made of20Cr2Ni4 A.Fatigue tests are conducted in a high-frequency push-pull fatigue tester,and acoustic emission（AE）technique is used to acquire metal fatigue signals.After analyzing large number of AE frequency spectrum,we find that：the crack extension can be expressed as the energy of specific frequency band,which is abbreviated as F-energy.To further validate the fatigue behavior,some correlation analysis is applied between F-energy and some AE parameters.Experimental results show that there is significant correlation among the Fenergy,root mean square（RMS）,relative energy,and hits.The findings can be used to validate the effectiveness of the F-energy in predicting fatigue crack propagation and remaining life for parts in-service.F-energy,as a new AE parameter,is first put forward in the area of fatigue crack growth.

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE BENDING FATIGUE OF MODIFIED PPTA FIBRE

PPTA fibres have high axial tensile strength,but the transverse links at the macromolecularlevel of the fibres are low.The high orientation and crystallization of the PPTA fibres leads to alow resistance to bending fatigue.A comparative study on fatigue behaviour of PPTA fibres and modified PPTA fibres weremade by rotating fibre over a pin.The resistant properties of the PPTA fibre to the bending fa-tigue are low,but can be improved by modification.The morphological differences of the deformation processes of the PPTA fibres and modi-fied PPTA fibres as they are tensioned in a monofilament from after being knotted are shown.The properties of resistance to bending fatigue of the different PPTA fibres can be evaluatedby comparing the morphologies of the tensile broken ends of these fibres after knotting.

Rolling contact fatigue life of ion implanted GCr15

Presents an experimental research into the rooling contact fatigue life of GCr15 steel with Ti xN, Ti xN+Ag and Ti xN+DLC layers ion implanted using the plasma ion implantation technology on a ball rod style high speed contact fatigue tester, and concludes with test results that the fatigue life increases to varying degrees with Ti xN, Ti xN+Ag, and Ti xN+DLC layers implanted, and increases 1.8 times with Ti xN+Ag layer implanted, hairline cracks grow continuously into fatigue pits under the action of shear stress in the superficial layer of material, and ion implantation acts to prevent initiation of cracks and slow down propagation of cracks.

AN INVESTIGATION OF RANDOM FATIGUE STRENGTH OF K-TYPE TUBULAR JOINTS AND CRACK PROPAGATION BEHAVIORS

Random fatigue of welded K-type tubular joints subjected to axial or out-of-plane bending load is analyzed. By considering the sizes of initial surface cracks and material constants as random variables with some probabilistic distributions, incorporating the effect of the weld, five hundred random samples are generated. Statistical computational results of life of crack propagation and effect of change of crack shape are finally obtained and compared with experimental data available based on a regression analysis. Meanwhile, crack propagation behaviors are also investigated.

A Method of Determining Realistic Stress S/N Curves by Interpolations and Extrapolations of Two Known Best-Fit S/N Curves for Fatigue Life Predictions

The design and sizing of new mechanical components which are intended to operate under cyclic loads often require an acceptable level of confidence that the components will meet pre-defined fatigue strength objectives for crack initiation. For loads with multiple amplitudes and mean values, models based on Palmgren-Miner’s linear cumulative damage hypothesis and on multiple S/N curves (stress-no. cycles) are widely used in estimations for the duration of crack initiation. In this paper a procedure for generating S/N curves for multiple stress ratios by interpolation or extrapolation from the data available for two such curves is proposed. At any number of cycles, the stress for crack initiation is calculated from the far field macroscopic stresses of the known curves using Dang Van fatigue criterion and microscopic stresses evaluated at the grain level. An algorithm is presented for uniaxial loading and results verifications against curves established from laboratory tests with elastic and plastic stresses are shown and discussed for notched and un-notched specimens.