EFFECT OF MEAN STRESS ON FATIGUE PERFORMANCE OF WELDED JOINTS TREATED BY UPT

The fatigue contrast tests of unload longitudinal direction comer joints asoriginal welded and treated by ultrasonic peening of Q235B in various stress ratio are directed. Theimprovements of fatigue performance of unload longitudinal direction corner joints resulted byultrasonic peening are studied. The effect pattern of stress ratio on fatigue performance of weldedjoints that are treated by ultrasonic peening is studied. As tests results indicate that: ① In thecondition of stress ratio .R=-l, the fatigue strength 'of specimen treated by ultrasonic peening isincreased by 165 percent of that of the original welded specimen. And the fatigue life of specimentreated by ultrasonic peening is as much as 75 approx 210 times of that of the latter. When R=0.1,the fatigue strength is increased by 87 percent and the fatigue life is extended by 21 approx 29times. When R=-0.5, the fatigue strength is increased by 123 percent and the fatigue life isextended by 42 approx 59 times. When R=0.45, the fatigue strength is increased by 51 percent and thefatigue life is extended by 3 approx 14 times. ② If the welded joints are treated by ultrasonicpeening, the fatigue strength is no longer independent on the applied mean stress. The more thestress ratio R, the less the fatigue stress range which can be sustained by the joints is. ③Whether the high value residual stress is in the joints or not, the dead load portion of the appliedload must be considered in the design of the joints which should be treated by ultrasonic peening.

Effect of Machined Surface Integrity on Fatigue Performance of Metal Workpiece:A Review

Fatigue performance is a serious concern for mechanical components subject to cyclical stresses,particularly where safety is paramount.The fatigue performance of components relies closely on their surface integrity because the fatigue cracks generally initiate from free surfaces.This paper reviewed the published data,which addressed the effects of machined surface integrity on the fatigue performance of metal workpieces.Limitations in existing studies and the future directions in anti-fatigue manufacturing field were proposed.The remarkable surface topography(e.g.,low roughness and few local defects and inclusions)and large compressive residual stress are beneficial to fatigue performance.However,the indicators that describe the effects of surface topography and residual stress accurately need further study and exploration.The effect of residual stress relaxation under cycle loadings needs to be precisely modeled precisely.The effect of work hardening on fatigue performance had two aspects.Work hardening could increase the material yield strength,thereby delaying crack nucleation.However,increased brittleness could accel-erate crack propagation.Thus,finding the effective control mechanism and method of work hardening is urgently needed to enhance the fatigue performance of machined components.The machining-induced metallurgical structure changes,such as white layer,grain refinement,dislocation,and martensitic transformation affect the fatigue performance of a workpiece significantly.However,the unified and exact conclusion needs to be investigated deeply.Finally,different surface integrity factors had complicated reciprocal effects on fatigue performance.As such,studying the comprehensive influence of surface integrity further and establishing the reliable prediction model of workpiece fatigue performance are meaningful for improving reliability of components and reducing test cost.

Evaluation of environmental factors to fatigue performance of asphalt mixes

This paper studies the effect of different environmental factors, including the axle load weight, environmental temperature, vehicle speed, and the aging level of asphalt, on the fatigue performance of asphalt mixes based on four-point bending beam fatigue tests. A fractional factorial design method named ＂uniform design＂ was applied in experimental design. The relations of the environmental factors to initial stiffness, fatigue life, phase angle and cumulative dissipated energy were established with the general linear modeling method. It is found that there exists very good correlativity between the environmental factors and the fatigue performance indices of asphalt mixes. The coefficients of total correlation are mainly beyond 0. 95. The results indicate that the consideration of the effect of environmental factors is necessary in the fatigue performance evaluation on real asphalt pavement.

Improving the fatigue performance of longitudinal welded joints by low transformation temperature electrodes

For a longitudinal welded joint, the tensile residual stresses are as high as the yield stress of the metal, so that the weld toes are sensitive to fatigue load. In this case a low transformation temperature electrode (LTTE) is one of the most useful methods used to improve the fatigue strength of the longitudinal welded joint, because the tensile residual stress is reduced or changed into compressive stress. Three kinds of longitudinal welded joints were selected to conduct fatigue tests. The tests results show that the fatigue strengths at 2×10 6 cycles of the joints welded with LTTE were improved by 41%, 47% and 59% respectively compared with those of the joints welded with E5015, and the fatigue lives at 162 MPa were improved by 9.9 times, 9.6 times and 46.8 times respectively. Furthermore, the LTTE method is not necessary to add process after welding and so that it can be valuable method to improve the fatigue performance of longitudinal welded joints.

Experimental Study on Fatigue Performance of Gussasphalt Mixture

Four-point flexural fatigue test for Gussasphalt mixture specimen was carried out at a straincontrolled mode system. The results showed that the development of the tested stiffness modulus and phase angle of the mixtures with increasing load cycles exhibited three periods, initial generation, slow development and failure period. The fatigue crack generation zone formed in the third period, in which the macro mechanical properties were signifi cantly decreased. Moreover, we also analyzed the effects of asphalt content and mixing temperature on the fatigue life of the mixture. The results showed that the fi rst period when the specimen＇s initial stiffness modulus was reduced to 80% accounted for 5%-10% of the total fatigue life; the second period in which the reduction became slow and demonstrated a liner relationship with load cycles occupied 70%-85% of the fatigue life; and the third period was about 5%-10%. The results indicated that the lower the mixing temperature, the longer the fatigue life of Gussasphalt mixture. Besides, the increasing of asphalt content has a minor effect on the fatigue life of Gussasphalt mixture

Improvement of microstructure and fatigue performance of wire-arc additive manufacture d 4043 aluminum alloy assiste d by interlayer friction stir processing

To expand the application of wire-arc additive manufacturing(WAAM)in aluminum alloy forming com-ponents,it is vitally important to reduce the porosity,refine microstructure,and thereby improve the mechanical properties of the components.In this study,the interlayer friction stir processing(FSP)tech-nique was employed to assist the WAAM of 4043 Al-Si alloy,and the related effects on the microstruc-ture evolutions and mechanical properties of the fabricated builds were systematacially investigated.As compared to the conventional WAAM processing of Al-Si alloy,it was found that the introduction of in-terlayer FSP can effectively eliminate the pores,and both theα-Al dendrites and Si-rich eutectic network were severely broken up,leading to a remarkable enhancement in ductility and fatigue performance.The average yield strength(YS)and ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of the Al-based components produced by the combination of WAAM and interlayer FSP methods were 88 and 148 MPa,respectively.Meanwhile,the elongation(EL)of 37.5%and 28.8%can be achieved in the horizontal and vertical directions,respec-tively.Such anisotropy of EL was attributed to the inhomogeneous microstructure in the stir zone(SZ).Notably,the stress concentration can be effectively reduced by the elimination of porosity and Si-rich eu-tectic network fragmentation by the interlayer FSP,and thus the fatigue behavior was improved with the fatigue strength and elongation increased by∼28%and∼108.7%,respectively.It is anticipated that this study will provide a powerful strategy and theoretical guidance for the WAAM fabrication of Al-based alloy components with high ductility and fatigue performance.

Fatigue Performance of Microalloyed High-strength Rebar and Analysis of Fracture Mechanism

Fatigue performance of hot-rolled ribbed-steel bar with the yield strength of 500 MPa （HRB500） was stud- ied with bend-rotating fatigue test at a stress ratio of R = -1. It is determined by staircase method that its fatigue strength for 107 cycles is 451 MPa, which is higher than that of common carbon structural steel. This should be at- tributed to the fine-grain strengthening resulting from the high content of alloy element V and Thermo-Mechanical Control Process （TMCP）. The S-N curve function is also obtained by nonlinear regression with three parameters power function. The fatigue fractures of the specimen were further analyzed with Scanning Electron Microscopy （SEM） and Energy Disperse Spectroscopy （EDS） to study the fracture mechanism. Taking into account microstruc- ture, hardness and cleanliness of the material, it implies that the fatigue fractures of HRB500 rebar all arise from surface substrates in which many brittle inclusions are contained, and that the fatigue crack propagation is principally based on the mechanism of quasi-cleavage fracture, because of the intracrystalline hard spots leading to stress con- centration and thus to the cracks. Moreover, the transient breaking area exhibits microvoid coalescence of ductile fracture due to the existing abundant inclusions.

Numerical investigation of modal and fatigue performance of a horizontal axis tidal current turbine using fluid-structure interaction

The tidal power has the potential to play a vital role in a sustainable energy future.The main objective of this paper is to investigate the performance and fatigue life of tidal current turbine(TCT)using fluid structure interaction(FSI)modeling.The performance of TCT was predicted using Ansys CFX.The performance curve,pressure distribution on the blade,and velocity streamline were visualized for eight repetitive analyses at different tip speed ratio.The hydrodynamic load calculated from CFD analysis was transferred to FEA model for investigation of the structural response of TCT.Modal analysis was performed to examine the mode shapes and natural frequencies of TCT.The fatigue analysis were performed and number of cycles and safety factor at different equivalent alternating stresses were investigated.The results of the simulation confirm that the turbine has a maximum value of the coefficient of performance atλ=5,the turbine operating frequency is not close to its natural frequency,and it is safe under the applied fatigue loads with a high factor of safety.

Evaluation on Fatigue Performance and Fracture Mechanism of Laser Welded TWIP Steel Joint Based on Evolution of Microstructure and Micromechanical Properties

The fatigue performance and fracture mechanism of laser welded twinning induced plasticity（TWIP）steel joint were investigated experimentally based on the evolution of microstructure and micromechanical properties.The optical microscopy was used to analyze the evolution of microstructure.The variation of composition and phase structure of fusion zone were detected by energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray diffraction spectrometers.The micromechanical behaviors of the various zones were characterized using nanoindentation.The static tensile test and high cycle fatigue test were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of welded joint and base metal.The microstructures,tensile properties and fatigue strength of base metal as well as welded metal were analyzed.The fatigue fracture surfaces of base metal and welded joint were observed by means of scanning electron microscopy,in order to identify fatigue crack initiation sites and propagation mechanisms.Moreover,the fatigue fracture characteristics and mechanisms for the laser welded TWIP steel joints were analyzed.

Fatigue Safety Assessment of Concrete Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge Based on Rain Flow Counting Method and Health Monitoring Data

The fatigue of concrete structures will gradually appear after being subjected to alternating loads for a long time,and the accidents caused by fatigue failure of bridge structures also appear from time to time.Aiming at the problem of degradation of long-span continuous rigid frame bridges due to fatigue and environmental effects,this paper suggests a method to analyze the fatigue degradation mechanism of this type of bridge,which combines long-term in-site monitoring data collected by the health monitoring system(HMS)and fatigue theory.In the paper,the authors mainly carry out the research work in the following aspects:First of all,a long-span continuous rigid frame bridge installed with HMS is used as an example,and a large amount of health monitoring data have been acquired,which can provide efficient information for fatigue in terms of equivalent stress range and cumulative number of stress cycles;next,for calculating the cumulative fatigue damage of the bridge structure,fatigue stress spectrum got by rain flow counting method,S-N curves and damage criteria are used for fatigue damage analysis.Moreover,it was considered a linear accumulation damage through the Palmgren-Miner rule for the counting of stress cycles.The health monitoring data are adopted to obtain fatigue stress data and the rain flow counting method is used to count the amplitude varying fatigue stress.The proposed fatigue reliability approach in the paper can estimate the fatigue damage degree and its evolution law of bridge structures well,and also can help bridge engineers do the assessment of future service duration.

Experimental Study on Response Performance of VIV of A Flexible Riser with Helical Strakes

Laboratory tests were conducted on a flexible riser with and without helical strakes. The aim of the present work is to further understand the response performance of the vortex induced vibration（VIV） for a riser with helical strakes. The experiment was accomplished in the towing tank and the relative current was simulated by towing a flexible riser in one direction. Based on the modal analysis method, the displacement responses can be obtained by the measured strain. The strakes with different heights are analyzed here, and the response parameters like strain response and displacement response are studied. The experimental results show that the in-line（IL） response is as important as the cross-flow（CF） response, however, many industrial analysis methods usually ignore the IL response due to VIV. The results also indicate that the response characteristics of a bare riser can be quite distinct from that of a riser with helical strakes, and the response performance depends on the geometry on the helical strakes closely. The fatigue damage is further discussed and the results show that the fatigue damage in the CF direction is of the same order as that in the IL direction for the bare riser. However, for the riser with helical strakes, the fatigue damage in the CF direction is much smaller than that in the IL direction.

Nonlinear dynamic analysis and fatigue damage assessment for a deepwater test string subjected to random loads

The deepwater test string is an important but vulnerable component in offshore petroleum exploration,and its durability significantly affects the success of deepwater test operations.Considering the influence of random waves and the interaction between the test string and the riser,a time-domain nonlinear dynamic model of a deepwater test string is developed.The stress-time history of the test string is obtained to study vibration mechanisms and fatigue development in the test string.Several recommendations for reducing damage are proposed.The results indicate that the amplitude of dynamic response when the string is subjected to random loads gradually decreases along the test string,and that the von Mises stress is higher in the string sections near the top of the test string and the flex joints.In addition,the fatigue damage fluctuates with the water depth,and the maximum damage occurs in string sections adjacent to the lower flex joint and in the splash zone.Several measures are proposed to improve the operational safety of deepwater test strings：applying greater top tension,operating in a favorable marine environment,managing the order of the test string joints,and performing nondestructive testing of components at vulnerable positions.

A review on evaluation of crack resistance of asphalt mixture by semi-circular bending test

Although there are many kinds of fracture tests to choose from in evaluating the crack resistance of asphalt mixture,the semi-circular bending(SCB)test has attracted a lot of attention in the academic road engineering community because of its simplicity,stability,and flexibility in testing and evaluation.The SCB test has become a common method to study the cracking resistance of asphalt mixture in recent years.This paper mainly summarizes the overview of the SCB test,summarizes some research results and common characterization parameters of the SCB test method in monotone test and fatigue test in recent years,and predicts and suggests the research direction of the SCB test in the future.It is found that the research on the monotonic SCB test is more comprehensive,and the research on the SCB fatigue test needs to be further improved in the aspects of loading mode,characterization parameter selection,and so on.Researchers can flexibly adjust the geometric dimensions and the test parameters of semi-cylindrical specimens,and conduct comprehensive analysis combined with the results of numerical simulation.The crack resistance of asphalt mixture can be comprehensively evaluated by fracture energy,fracture toughness,stiffness,flexibility index and other fracture indicators,combined with the crack propagation of the specimen.The analysis of numerical simulation can confirm the test results.In order to standardize the setting of fatigue parameters for future application,it is necessary to standardize the setting of bending performance.

Improving the high cycle fatigue property of Ti6Al4V ELI alloy by optimizing the surface integrity through electric pulse combined with ultrasonic surface rolling process

To improve the surface integrity and high cycle fatigue property of Ti6Al4V ELI alloy,the electric pulse has been introduced into the ultrasonic surface rolling process(USRP),which is called electric pulse-assisted ultrasonic surface rolling process(EUSRP).With the help of“electroplasticity”of the electric pulse,the thickness of the surface gradient deformation layer was about three times of the USRP specimens by adjusting the pulse current level.However,the surface hardness decreases due to the continuous effect of the pulse current and the“skin effect”during treatment.It is worth noting that the higher the applied pulse current,the more severe the softening.This paradox causes the fatigue performance of EUSRP specimens lower than that of USRP specimens.To break this paradox,the EUSRP treatment is followed by a USRP treatment.The EUSRP-2(with a pulse current of 200 A)+USRP specimens exhibit excellent surface hardness,a gradient deformation layer thickness of about 400μm,low surface roughness and high compressive residual compressive stress.Besides,the hardening mechanisms of the different surface strengthening specimens have been quantitatively analyzed in combination with microstructure analysis.The fatigue life of Ti6Al4V ELI alloy can be improved by about 25 times at 780 MPa using the EUSRP-2+USRP treatment,the main reason for the highest fatigue life is the deepest surface gradient layer and the deepest crack initiation site.The fatigue limit of the EUSRP-2+USRP specimens is not the highest because too much surface hardening causes compressive residual stress relaxation during cycling and the beneficial effect of compressive residual stress is eliminated.

Research on an innovative structure of an open-ribbed steel-ultra-high performance concrete composite bridge deck

To completely solve the problem of fatigue cracking issue of orthotropic steel bridge decks(OSDs),the authors proposed a steel–ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)lightweight composite deck(LWCD)with closed ribs in 2010.Based on the successful application of that LWCD,an adaptation incorporating an innovative composite deck structure,i.e.,the hot-rolled section steel–UHPC composite deck with open ribs(SSD)is proposed in this paper,aiming to simplify the fabrication process as well as to reduce the cost of LWCD.Based on a long-span cable-stayed bridge,a design scheme is proposed and is compared with the conventional OSD scheme.Further,a finite element(FE)calculation is conducted to reflect both the global and local behavior of the SSD scheme,and it is found that the peaked stresses in the SSD components are less than the corresponding allowable values.A static test is performed for an SSD strip specimen to understand the anti-cracking behavior of the UHPC layer under negative bending moments.The static test results indicate that the UHPC layer exhibited a satisfactory tensile toughness,the UHPC tensile strength obtained from the test is 1.8 times the calculated stress by the FE model of the real bridge.In addition,the fatigue stresses of typical fatigue-prone details in the SSD are calculated and evaluated,and the influences of key design parameters on the fatigue performance of the SSD are analyzed.According to the fatigue results,the peaked stress ranges for all of the 10 fatigue-prone details are within the corresponding constant amplitude fatigue limits.Then a fatigue test is carried out for another SSD strip specimen to explore the fatigue behavior of the fillet weld between the longitudinal and transverse ribs.The specimen failed at the fillet weld after equivalent 47.5 million cycles of loading under the design fatigue stress range,indicating that the fatigue performance of the SSD could meet the fatigue design requirement.Theoretical calculations and experiments provide a basis for the promotion and application of this structure in bridge engineering.

Stress concentration coefficients of optimized cope-hole welded detail

The fatigue performance of optimized welded detail has been investigated by fatigue experiments of three welded specimens under different loadings.In addition,local finite element models of this welded detail were established using finite element software ANSYS.The influences of different factors such as plate thickness,plate gap and initial geometric imperfections on the stress concentration coefficient(SCC) were discussed.The experimental results indicate that the fatigue life of three specimens for this welded detail is 736,000,1,044,200 and 1,920,300 times,respectively.The web thickness,the filler plate thickness and the initial geometric imperfection have relatively less effect on the SCCs of this welded detail.However,cope-hole radius is influential on the SCCs of the web and the weld.The SCC of weld is significantly affected by the weld size and plate gap,but the SCCs of other parts of the welded detail are hardly affected by the plate gap.

Performance of steel bridge deck pavement structure with ultra high performance concrete based on resin bonding

This research investigated a pavement system on steel bridge decks that use epoxy resin(EP)bonded ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC).Through FEM analysis and static and dynamic bending fatigue tests of the composite structure,the influences of the interface of the pavement layer,reinforcement,and different paving materials on the structural performance were compared and analyzed.The results show that the resin bonded UHPC pavement structure can reduce the weld strain in the steel plate by about 32%and the relative deflection between ribs by about 52%under standard axial load conditions compared to traditional pavements.The EP bonding layer can nearly double the drawing strength of the pavement interface from 1.3 MPa,and improve the bending resistance of the UHPC structure on steel bridge decks by about 50%;the bending resistance of reinforced UHPC structures is twice that of unreinforced UHPC structure,and the dynamic deflection of the UHPC pavement structure increases exponentially with increasing fatigue load.The fatigue life is about 1.2×10^(7) cycles under a fixed force of 9 kN and a dynamic deflection of 0.35 mm,which meets the requirements for fatigue performance of pavements on steel bridge decks under traffic conditions of large flow and heavy load.

Ageing and performance of warm mix asphalt pavements

This paper presents results from investigating the ageing behaviour and performance of different warm mix asphalt （WMA） pavement mixtures also called energy reduced pavements. The mixtures were either prepared in the laboratory or taken directly from a mixing plant. The study compared the rutting and fatigue behaviours of unaged material in comparison to long term laboratory aged material. In order to conduct the long term ageing, a special laboratory ageing protocol with different heating, cooling and watering cycles had been developed. The investigation revealed a quite controversial rutting behavior which could not be explained with the available data. While most aged energy reduced pavements showed increased rutting for other mixtures, lower rut depths could be found. As opposed to this finding, fatigue and stiffness of all aged energy reduced pave- ment samples compared to unaged samples improved significantly. The overall results led to the conclusion that the ageing of energy reduced pavement simulated in the laboratory is not very critical regarding their mechanical performance. Therefore, it was confrmed that the application of this type of pavement provides a good solution for saving on CO2 emissions. Another advantage is that by using energy reduced pavements the road con- struction season can be significantly prolonged.

What is going on in magnesium alloys？

China has been developed into one of the most active regions in terms of both fundamental and applied research on magnesium （Mg） and its alloys in the world from a solid base laid by its prominent metallurgist and materials scientists over the past decades. Nowadays, a large number of young-generation researchers have been inspired by their predecessors and become the key participants in the fields of Mg alloys, which consequently led to the establishment of China Youth Scholar Society for Magnesium Alloys Research in 2015. Since then, the first two China Youth Scholars Symposiums on Mg Alloys Research had been held at Harbin （2015） and Chongqing （2016） China, respectively. A number of crucial research inter- ests related to fundamental and applied Mg research were discussed at the conferences and summarized in this short perspective, aiming to boost far-reaching initiatives for development of new Mg-based materials to satisfy the requirements for a broad range of industrial employments. Herein, four main aspects are included as follows： i） Plastic deformation mechanism and strengthening strategy, ii） Design and development of new Mg-based materials, iii） Key service properties, and iv） New processing technologies.