Optimization of Preventive Grinding of Backup Roll against Contact Fatigue Cracking

In order to optimize the current grinding procedure of the backup roll of 2050 continuously variable crown (CVC) mills, the behavior of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) cracking was investigated. Two RCF short cracks, including vertical short crack and ratcheting short crack initiated from ratcheting, were observed. The behavior of both RCF cracks was analyzed in detail. Then a modified grinding procedure was proposed according to the behavior of RCF cracks and the preventive grinding strategy.

THERMAL FATIGUE CRACKING IN STEEL 5CrMnMo

The thermal fatigue behaviour of steel 5CrMnMo after various heat treatments has been examined by means of Coffin-model and self-strained thermal fatigue testing machines.The thermal fatigue crack initiation and propagation have been observed under SEM and TEM. The majority of thermal fatigue cracks of the quenched samples initiated firstly at the grain boundaries and that of the quenched-tempered samples at the breakage interface of the car- bide and matrix.The thermal fatigue cracks of either quenched or quenched-tempered steel propagated mainly along the breakage interface of carbide and grain boundaries.

Fatigue cracking criterion of high-strength steels induced by inclusions under high-cycle fatigue

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.

Effects of orientation on the fatigue crack growth behaviors of the ZK60 magnesium alloy in air and PBS

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.

Hierarchical approach for fatigue cracking performance evaluation in asphalt pavements

In this paper, a hierarchical approach is proposed for the evaluation of fatigue cracking in asphalt concrete pavements considering three different levels of complexities in the representation of the material behaviour, design parameters characterization and the determination of the pavement response as well as damage computation. Based on the developed hierarchical approach, three damage computation levels are identified and proposed. The levels of fatigue damage analysis provides pavement engineers a variety of tools that can be used for pavement analysis depending on the availability of data, required level of prediction accuracy and computational power at their disposal. The hierarchical approach also provides a systematic approach for the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of pavement deterioration, the elimination of the empiricism associated with pavement design today and the transition towards the use of sound principles of mechanics in pavement analysis and design.

Effect of grain size on fatigue cracking at twin boundaries in a CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy

The fatigue cracking behavior at twin boundaries(TBs)in a Co Cr Fe Mn Ni high-entropy alloy with three different grain sizes was systematically investigated under low-cycle fatigue.Irrespective of grain size,the change from slip band cracking to TB cracking occurred with increasing the difference in the Schmid factors(DSF)between matrix and twin.However,the required critical DSF for the transition of the dominant cracking mode decreases with decreasing grain size due to the reduced slip band spacing that increases the impingement sites on the TBs and facilitates the coalescence of defects and voids to initiate TB cracks.

A dimensional analysis on asphalt binder fracture and fatigue cracking

Fracture and fatigue cracking in asphalt binder are two of most serious problems for pavement engineers. In this paper, we present a new comprehensive approach, which consists both of dimensional analysis using Buckingham H Theorem and J-integral analysis based on classic fracture mechanics, to evaluate the fracture and fatigue on asphalt binder. It is discovered that the dimensional analysis could provide a new perspective to analyze the asphalt fracture and fatigue cracking mechanism.

Twin boundary： Controllable interface to fatigue cracking

Twin boundaries（TBs） are key factors influencing the mechanical properties of crystalline materials. We have investigated the intrinsic fatigue cracking mechanisms of TBs during the past decade. The effects of TB orientations on the fatigue cracking mechanisms were revealed via cyclic deformation of a series of grown Cu bicrystals with a sole TB. Furthermore, the combined effects of crystallographic orientation and stacking fault energy（SFE） on the fatigue cracking mechanisms were clarified through cyclic deformation of polycrystalline Cu and Cu alloys. Both developments were reviewed in this report which will provide implications to optimize the interfacial design for the improvement of fatigue performance of metallic materials.

Microstructure Dependent Fatigue Cracking Resistance of Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si Alloy

Fatigue cracking behavior from a notch was investigated at room temperature for Ti-6.SAI-3.5Mo-1.5Zr- 0.3Si （TClI） alloys with four different microstructures obtained at different cooling rates from the β transus temperature. It was found that the alloy with lamellar structures consisting of α/β lamellae or acicular α＇ martensite laths had a higher fatigue crack initiation threshold from the notch, while the bimodal structure with coarse a grain had a lower fatigue cracking resistance. The alloy with α/β lamellar structure showed a higher fatigue crack growth resistance. The length scales of the microstructures were characterized to correlate with fatigue cracking behavior. Fatigue cracking mechanism related to microstructures was discussed.

Fatigue crack propagation of 7050 aluminum alloy FSW joints after surface peening

The surface composite modification of the 7050 aluminum alloy friction stir-welded joints was performed by shot peening(SP)/multiple rotation rolling(MRR)and MRR/SP,and the fatigue performance of the nugget zone(NZ)was investigated.The results demonstrated that the fatigue life of SP/MRR samples is longer than that of MRR/SP.On the plane 150μm below the surface.The grains with high angle grain boundary account for 71.5%and 34.3%for MRR/SP and SP/MRR samples,respectively.The crack propagation path of the MRR/SP is transgranular and intergranular,and it is intergranular for the MRR/SP.Multitudinous fatigue striations and some voids appeared at the fracture during the stable crack propagation stage.However,fatigue striations for SP/MRR are with smaller spacing,fewer holes,and smaller size under SP/MRR compared with fatigue fracture of MRR/SP.The differences in fatigue properties and fracture characteristics of the NZ are related to the microstructure after the two combined surface modifications.

Vision-based fatigue crack detection using global motion compensation and video feature tracking

Fatigue cracks that develop in civil infrastructure such as steel bridges due to repetitive loads pose a major threat to structural integrity.Despite being the most common practice for fatigue crack detection,human visual inspection is known to be labor intensive,time-consuming,and prone to error.In this study,a computer vision-based fatigue crack detection approach using a short video recorded under live loads by a moving consumer-grade camera is presented.The method detects fatigue crack by tracking surface motion and identifies the differential motion pattern caused by opening and closing of the fatigue crack.However,the global motion introduced by a moving camera in the recorded video is typically far greater than the actual motion associated with fatigue crack opening/closing,leading to false detection results.To overcome the challenge,global motion compensation(GMC)techniques are introduced to compensate for camera-induced movement.In particular,hierarchical model-based motion estimation is adopted for 2D videos with simple geometry and a new method is developed by extending the bundled camera paths approach for 3D videos with complex geometry.The proposed methodology is validated using two laboratory test setups for both in-plane and out-of-plane fatigue cracks.The results confirm the importance of motion compensation for both 2D and 3D videos and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed GMC methods as well as the subsequent crack detection algorithm.

Analytical Models of Concrete Fatigue:A State-of-the-Art Review

Fatigue failure phenomena of the concrete structures under long-term low amplitude loading have attractedmore attention.Some structures,such as wind power towers,offshore platforms,and high-speed railways,may resist millions of cycles loading during their intended lives.Over the past century,analytical methods for concrete fatigue are emerging.It is concluded that models for the concrete fatigue calculation can fall into four categories:the empirical model relying on fatigue tests,fatigue crack growth model in fracture mechanics,fatigue damage evolution model based on damage mechanics and advanced machine learning model.In this paper,a detailed review of fatigue computing methodology for concrete is presented,and the characteristics of different types of fatigue models have been stated and discussed.

Effect of long-period stacking ordered structure on very high cycle fatigue properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloys

Magnesium alloys with a long-period stacking ordered(LPSO)structure usually possess excellent static strength,but their fatigue behaviors are poorly understood.This work presents the effect of the LPSO structure on the crack behaviors of Mg alloys in a very high cycle fatigue(VHCF)regime.The LPSO lamellas lead to a facet-like cracking process along the basal planes at the crack initiation site and strongly prohibit the early crack propagation by deflecting the growth direction.The stress intensity factor at the periphery of the faceted area is much higher than the conventional LPSO-free Mg alloys,contributing higher fatigue crack propagation threshold of LPSO-containing Mg alloys.Microstructure observation at the facets reveals a layer of ultrafine grains at the fracture surface due to the cyclic contact of the crack surface,which supports the numerous cyclic pressing model describing the VHCF crack initiation behavior.

Statistical learning prediction of fatigue crack growth via path slicing and re-weighting

Predicting potential risks associated with the fatigue of key structural components is crucial in engineering design.However,fatigue often involves entangled complexities of material microstructures and service conditions,making diagnosis and prognosis of fatigue damage challenging.We report a statistical learning framework to predict the growth of fatigue cracks and the life-to-failure of the components under loading conditions with uncertainties.Digital libraries of fatigue crack patterns and the remaining life are constructed by high-fidelity physical simulations.Dimensionality reduction and neural network architectures are then used to learn the history dependence and nonlinearity of fatigue crack growth.Path-slicing and re-weighting techniques are introduced to handle the statistical noises and rare events.The predicted fatigue crack patterns are self-updated and self-corrected by the evolving crack patterns.The end-to-end approach is validated by representative examples with fatigue cracks in plates,which showcase the digital-twin scenario in real-time structural health monitoring and fatigue life prediction for maintenance management decision-making.

Fatigue crack initiation and early propagation behavior of 2A97 Al-Li alloy

The fatigue crack initiation and early propagation behavior of 2A97 Al-Li alloy was studied. The smooth specimens were fatigued at room temperature under constant maximum stress control when stress ratio （R） is 0.1 and frequency （f） is 40 Hz. Microstructure observations were examined by optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron back scattered diffusion, in order to investigate the relationship between microstructure and fatigue crack initiation and early propagation behavior of 2A97 alloy. The results show that the fatigue cracks are predominantly initiated at inclusions and coarsen secondary phases on the surface of 2A97 alloy. The fatigue crack early propagation behavior of 2A97 alloy is predominantly influenced by the interactions between grain structure and dislocations or persistent slip bands （PSBs）. When the misorientation of two neighbouring grains is close to the orientations of the favorable slip plane within these two grains, high-angle grain boundary severely hinders the PSBs passing through, and thus leads to crack bifurcation and deflection.

Fatigue behavior of friction stir spot welded AZ31 Mg alloy sheet joints

The fatigue behavior of friction stir spot welded （FSSW） AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet joints was investigated by tension- compression of fatigue test. The results suggest that all the fatigue failures occur at the stir zone of the FSSW AZ31 sheet joints, and all cracks initiate at the stir zone outer edge between the upper and lower sheet. When the cycle force equals 1 kN, the crack propagates along the interface of heat-affected zone and thermo-mechanical zone, simultaneously across the direction of force; while the cycle force equals 3 kN, the crack propagates along the diameter of stir zone and shear failure occurs finally. Moreover, the transverse microsections indicate that there is a tongue-like region at the outer edge of stir zone between the two AZ31 sheets, and the direction of tongue-like region is toward outside of the stirred zone and all fatigue cracks initiate at the tongue-like region.

Corrosion fatigue behavior of epoxy-coated Mg-3Al-1Zn alloy in gear oil

The corrosion fatigue behavior of epoxy-coated Mg-3Al-1Zn alloy in gear oil was investigated. The corrosion and the fracture surfaces after fatigue test were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and the corrosion compositions were measured by energy-dispersive spectrometry(EDS). The fatigue properties and the crack initiation mechanisms of the specimens before and after epoxy coating treatment were discussed. The results indicate that the fatigue limit after epoxy coating treatment in gear oil is higher than that of the uncoated specimens. The epoxy coating is an excellent way to prevent direct contact between the Mg-3Al-1Zn alloy and surrounding environments. The mechanical properties of the epoxy coating layer are lower than that of magnesium alloy, which is the main reason for the fatigue crack initiation on the epoxy coating layer. In addition, the gear oil lubrication could lead to the flaking off of the epoxy-coated layer.

BLOCK SPECTRUM CHARACTERISTICS AND FATIGUE CRACK RANDOM GROWTH

Two parameters,block spectrum intensity Seq and spectrum shape factor a,which describe the characteristics of the loading block spectrum are defined,and the relationship between the parameters and fatigue crack propagation behaviours is investigated.It is shown that the spectrum intensity is an 'average drive force' of fatigue crack propagation,and the variance of fatigue crack size at a given fatigue life is closely related to the spectrum shape factor α.

Remaining Useful Life for Heavy-Duty Railway Cast Steel Knuckles Based on Crack Growth Behavior with Hypothetical Distributions

The current research on the integrity of critical structures of rail vehicles mainly focuses on the design stage,which needs an effective method for assessing the service state.This paper proposes a framework for predicting the remaining useful life(RUL)of in-service structures with and without visible cracks.The hypothetical distribution and delay time models were used to apply the equivalent crack growth life data of heavy-duty railway cast steel knuckles,which revealed the evolution characteristics of the crack length and life scores of the knuckle under different fracture failure modes.The results indicate that the method effectively predicts the RUL of service knuckles in different failure modes based on the cumulative failure probability curves for different locations and surface crack lengths.This study proposes an RUL prediction framework that supports the dynamic overhaul and state maintenance of knuckle fatigue cracks.

Nonequilibrium Statistical Modeling of Fatigue Crack Growth Behaviour

In order to study the influence of microstructural texture on the growth of short fatigue cracks in metals, the nonequilibrium statistical theory of fatigue fracture correlating a microscopic mechanism with the macroscopic properties is modified to take into consideration the microstructural features of a material, thereby allowing a rationalisation of the experimental data of short fatigue crack growth and long fatigue crack growth. The nonequilibrium statistical theory thus developed relates the growth of cracks with a dislocation mechanism to simulate short fatigue crack growth with the long fatigue crack growth behaviour and predicts the fatigue crack growth rates throughout the fatigue lifetime. The results is finally compared with that of other fatigue theories.