Study of the fatigue fractography of dual phase low carbon steel used in automotive industry

Fatigue properties play a crucial role as they are vital to ensuring the durability and integrity of components subjected to repeated loading conditions over long periods.The main objective of this work is to investigate the fatigue behavior of dual phase low-carbon steels used in automotive applications using a rotating bending fatigue machine.Heat treatments were carried out to analyze the microstructure's effect on the fatigue properties,including quenching low-carbon steel samples at 800℃ and 900℃.Hardness and tensile tests were performed,and the microstructure was inspected to examine the constitute phases.With the assistance of a scanning electron microscope,fractographic analyses were carried out to reveal the fracture features of the samples at different lifetime ranges.The results show that various failure mechanisms occur depending on the stress levels.Additionally,the specimens quenched at 900℃ exhibited higher fatigue strength.

Simple Predicting Method for Fatigue Crack Growth Rate Based on Tensile Strength of Carbon Steel

Three types of fatigue tests for an annealed carbon steel containing carbon of 0.42%were carried out on smooth specimens and specimens with a small blind hole in order to investigate the fatigue crack growth law.A simple predicting method for crack growth rates has been proposed involving strengthσband the relation between cyclic stress and strain.The validity of proposed method has been confirmed by experiments on several carbon steels with different loadings.

INVESTIGATION OF FRACTURE DESIGN FOR MEDIUM CARBON STEEL UNDER EXTRA-LOW CYCLIC FATIGUE IN AXIAL LOADING

The extra-low cyclic fracture problem of medium carbon steel under axial fatigue loading was investigated. Several problems, such as the relations of the cycle times to the depth and tip radius of the notch, loading frequency, loading range and the parameters of fracture design for medium carbon steel on condition of extra-low axial fatigue loading were discussed based on the experiments. Experimental results indicated that the tension-pressure fatigue loading mode was suitable for extra-low cyclic fatigue fracture design of medium carbon steel and it resulted in low energy consumption, fracture surface with high quality, low cycle times, and high efficiency. The appropriate parameters were as follows： loading frequency 3-5 Hz, notch tip radius r = （0.2-0.3） mm, opening angle α = 60°, and notch depth t = （0.14-0.17）D.

EFFECT OF MICROSTRUCTURE ON CORROSION FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF A LOW CARBON BAINITE STEEL

The behaviour towards corrosion fatigue of low carbon bainite steel with various microstructures after tempered at different temperatures has been examined. The susceptibility of the steel to corrosion fatigue may be improved by tempering at 300℃.

BEHAVIOR OF SHORT FATIGUE CRACKS AT BLUNT NOTCHES IN A MEDIUM CARBON STEEL

The behavior of part-through and through short cracks in single edge blunt notched specimens of a medium carbon steel was investigated by a replication method. It is found that the fatigue failure of these notched specimens is caused mainly by the growth of short surface cracks originating from the surface of notch root. More than 70% of the fatigue life is spent in the regimes in which short surface cracks initiate and propagate as part-through cracks before joining up to form a single through-thickness crack. The effect of original crack profile which is formed through the coalescence of multiple part-through cracks is the main reason causing the 'anomalous' propagation behavior of the through-thickness crack in its early stage.

FATIGUE FRACTURE BEHAVIOR OF LOW CARBON MARTENSITE AND MARTENSITE/BAINITE DUPLEX STRUCTURE IN STEEL 20CrMnMo

Fatigue crack propagation rate,da/dN,and threshold stress intensity range,ΔK_(th),of steel 20CrMnMo containing low carbon martensite or low carbon martensite/bainite(LCM/B) duplex structure,obtained by oil quenching and austempered at 360℃,have been measured using specimens under four-point bending.Observation was also made of the crack path and fracture morphology with relation to microstructure.The formation of LCM/B duplex structure,which caused by 20% lower bainite after short-time isothermal treatment,may re- markably increase ΔK_(th)and considerably decrease da/dN.The effect of microstructure on da/dN and ΔK_(th)was discussed with the emphasis on the crack propagation path.

Ice Induced Low Temperature Fatigue Crack Propagation in Offshore Structural Steel A131

To investigate the low temperature fatigue crack propagation behavior of offshore structural steel A131 under random ice loading, three ice failure modes that are commonly present in the Bohai Gulf are simulated according to the vibration stress responses induced by real ice loading. The test data are processed by a universal software FCPUSL developed on the basis of the theory of fatigue crack propagation and statistics. The fundamental parameter controlling the fatigue crack propagation induced by random ice loading is determined to be the amplitude root mean square stress intensity factor K-arm. The test results are presented on the crack propagation diagram where the crack growth rate da/dN is described as the function of K-arm. It is evident that the ice failure modes have great influence on the fatigue crack propagation behavior of the steel in ice-induced vibration. However, some of the experimental phenomena and test results are hard to be physically explained at present. The work in this paper is an initial attempt to investigate the cause of collapse of offshore structures due to ice loading.

IN-SITU OBSERVATION OF THERMAL FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH IN STEEL 3Cr2W8V

The growing process of thermal fatigue cracking,in steel 3Cr2WSV was observed under desk SEM fitted with sell-made minisized device for thermal faligue test.Before the growing of thermal fatigue crack,the main crack tip reveals to blunt firstly,and some holes and uncontinuous microcraeks occur in front of it.The growth is developed by bridging of main crack together with holes and microcracks.

CRITICAL NOTCH(CRACK)SIZE AS A CHARACTERISTIC PARAMETER EVALUATING CRYOGENIC BRITTLENESS IN LOW CARBON STEEL

The effect of notch depth on the cryogenic fracture behavior has been studied using a low car- bon steel.An analysis was made for the fracture features at T_c~*(cryogenic brittleness-char- acteristic temperature)at which the facture load reaehes a valley value.Furthermore,accord- ing to the experimental results and engineering design practice,a concept of critical notch (crack)'size for cryogenic brittleness,a_c,as well as its limit value a_c~*,was put forward and recommended to be a basic characteristic parameter for controlling the brittleness. Mathematical derivation was carried out to give the expression of a_c and a_c~*,the reliability of which was verified by the modeling tests under both static and cyclic loading conditions.

Effect of Rare Earth Element on Formation and Propagation of Thermal Fatigue Crack in Low-Chromium Semi-Steel

The formation and growth of thermal fatigue crack in low-chromium semi-steel were investigated by means of optical microscope and scanning electron microscope, and the function of RE in low-chromium semi-steel was analyzed. The results show that the thermal fatigue cracks are mainly generated at eutectic carbides, and the cracks not only grow and spread but also join each other. RE can improve the eutectic carbide′s morphology, inhibit the generation and propagation of thermal fatigue cracks, and therefore promote the activation energy for the crack′s propagation, which is especially more noticeable in case of the RE modification in combination with heat treatment. The mathematical model of the crack propagation is put forward.

EFFECT OF CATHODIC PROTECTION ON FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF LOWALLOY STEELS IN SEAWATER

Fracture behaviour of low-alloy steels AIST4340,HY100,Welten60,AISIA537 and A131 in artificial seawater under static,cyclic loading and at cathodic protection potential has been investigated by using the techniques of fracture mechanics, electrochemistry and electronfractography.The results reveal that at hydrogen evolution potentials(cathodic pro- tection potential)the critical yield strength required for the occurrance of SCC decreases from 985 at corrosion potential(E_c)to 872 MPa.The effect of cathodic protection on crack propagation of corrosion fatigue(CF)is not simple,it is closely related to the yield strength of steels and their SCC behaviour.For the steels with high yield strength,cathodic protection promotes(da/dN)_Ⅱ evidently,and reduces △K_(th) value.The(da/dN)-△K curves dis- play a plateau at the third stage of CF for steels with medium or low yield strength.It is men- tioned that the cathodic protection potential for oceaneering constructures should be control- led at top level of the protective range.It seems reasonable that the strength of steel for oceaneeing use might be increased by 200 or 300 MPa.

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.

Ratcheting led surface failure of medium carbon bainitic steel under mild operation conditions

The behavior of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) of medium carbon bainitic back-up roll steel was investigated under its actual work conditions. A kind of asperity-scale surface originated cracks, which is lying parallel or at an acute angle to the surfaces, initiated after unidirectional plastic flow of the material in thin surface layer had occurred. Theoretical analysis indicates that they nucleate due to plastic ratcheting induced by asperity contact stresses, and consequently are named as ratcheting cracks. After nucleating and initially propagating, they arrest at some depth and resume propagating till about 70%-80% of the RCF failure life by initially turning parallel to contact surfaces. Their behavior of initiation and propagation is confined to a thin layer prior to the formation of surface distress. According to the critical principle of the preventive grinding strategy, removing the asperity influenced surface layer at about 70%-80% of the RCF failure life can effectively prevent the ratcheting cracks from developing into surface distress, which can lead to the formation of macro-RCF failure soon.

温度和应变幅对亚稳奥氏体不锈钢S321低周疲劳行为的影响

在室温和650℃的环境下对S321、S321H不锈钢进行了0.5%、0.7%、0.9%应变幅下的低周疲劳试验,并在室温下对S321和S321H开展了多个寿命点的疲劳加载历史试验,结合X射线衍射定量分析测算形变诱发马氏体的含量。结果表明:形变诱发马氏体的生成会导致奥氏体钢持续循环硬化,室温下合金在初次硬化后继续二次硬化,而在650℃下没有形变诱发马氏体生成,合金在初次硬化后进入循环稳定阶段。循环过程中,碳含量越低,形变诱发马氏体含量越多,合金的循环硬化程度更高。两种温度下,两种材料的疲劳寿命在低应变幅下都相差不大,应变幅越大,两种材料的疲劳寿命相差越大,因此,可以考虑服役条件为低应变幅时使用S321不锈钢代替S321H不锈钢。

低碳钢及其不锈钢复合钢材低周疲劳行为的对比研究

不锈钢复合钢材在土木工程结构中得到了越来越多的关注和应用,但是其在循环荷载作用下的力学行为还缺乏足够的认识。通过单轴拉伸试验和不同应变幅条件下的对称应变控制加载低周疲劳试验,对比研究了2 mm+10 mm热轧304+Q235B不锈钢复合钢材及其基层Q235B碳钢钢材的循环弹-塑性特性和低周疲劳寿命;结合数值模拟得到的疲劳试件截面应力分布,分析了复合钢材低周疲劳失效模式的力学机理。结果表明,在拉伸和循环荷载下,复层304不锈钢与基层Q235B碳钢之间均没有出现界面剥离现象;复合钢材及Q235B碳钢均表现出与加载应变幅正相关的循环硬化行为,且前者的循环应力响应大于后者;复合钢材的低周疲劳初始裂纹均出现在Q235B碳钢侧,这是由于复层不锈钢和基层碳钢不同的拉应力状态和塑性变形能力共同造成的,但是复合钢材与Q235B碳钢的低周疲劳寿命未表现出明显的区别。该批次304+Q235B不锈钢复合钢材具有良好的低周疲劳性能,可代替Q235B碳钢用于对腐蚀防护性能具有较高要求的工程构件中。

低温下HTS-A钢疲劳裂纹扩展速率预报方法研究

针对低温下船用HTS-A钢的疲劳裂纹扩展行为,本文采用25 mm厚HTS-A钢CT试样为研究对象,开展常温及不同低温环境下疲劳裂纹扩展试验。在试验研究的基础上,提出包含温度项的改进McEvily公式的低温疲劳裂纹扩展预报方法。结果表明:随着温度的降低,HTS-A钢的疲劳裂纹扩展速率逐渐降低。在-60℃时,HTS-A钢的低温疲劳裂纹扩展速率没有出现低温脆断,试验结果可为船用HTS-A钢低温疲劳设计提供数据参考。同时,分别采用本文HTS-A钢低温试验数据和文献中的钛合金低温试验数据验证低温疲劳裂纹扩展速率预报方法的合理性及正确性,该方法可用于预报不同低温环境下金属疲劳裂纹扩展速率。

预应力CFRP修复含裂纹钢板疲劳寿命的延长预测

为研究预应力碳纤维复合材料(carbon fiber reinforced polymer,CFRP)修复对于海上油气勘探开发平台上含裂纹钢板的疲劳寿命的延长效果。基于围线积分方法建立计算预应力CFRP修复含裂纹钢板应力强度因子(stress intensity factor,SIF)的仿真分析模型,结合线弹性断裂力学,验证模型的准确性,提出1种简单、高效的SIF计算方法;基于扩展有限元方法(extended finite element method,XFEM)建立预测预应力CFRP修复含裂纹钢板疲劳寿命的仿真分析模型,并利用疲劳试验结果进行验证,分析预应力对含裂纹钢板疲劳寿命的延长效果。研究结果表明:CFRP修复对含裂纹钢板有良好的修复效果,可较为明显地延长其疲劳寿命,随着预应力的增大,其延长效果会进一步增强。研究结果可为海上平台安全评估提供参考。

In-situ observation and finite element analysis of fretting fatigue crack propagation behavior in 1045 steel

In this paper fretting fatigue crack behavior in 1045 steel is studied by in-situ observation and finite element analysis.in-situ fretting fatigue experiments are conducted to capture real-time fretting fatigue crack formation and propagation process.The fretting fatigue tests under different load conditions are carried out,then the lifetime and fracture surface are obtained.The crack propagation rates under different loading conditions are measured by in-situ observations.With in-situ observation,crack initiation location and direction are analyzed.Finite element model is used to calculate J-integral which then is applied to fitting with experimental crack growth rate,and establishing crack growth rate model.From fitted S-N curve,it turns out that smaller load ratio leads to higher lifetime.Crack initiates slightly below the point equivalent to line contact of the contact surface in different test conditions,and crack direction shows no obvious relationship with load parameters.The established crack growth rate model well agrees with the test results.

Fatigue Property of Nano-grained Delaminated Low-carbon Steel Sheet

Tension-tension fatigue life tests on nano-grained delaminated low-carbon steel sheet under different fatigue loads are carried out to study the fatigue properties of the steel. The three-dimensional microstructures of the steel are observed by TEM. In addition, the morphology of the fatigue fracture of the specimen under different loads is observed by SEM. The results show that micro-cracks form on the weak interface of the nano-grained steel under low-stress conditions, which hinders the propagation of the main cracks and reduces the fatigue crack propagation rate, resulting in the extending fatigue life of the steel.

夹杂物对超高强度钢低周疲劳裂纹萌生及扩展影响的原位观测

采用扫描电镜原位观测了数微米大小夹杂物对超高强度钢疲劳裂纹萌生及扩展的影响,并用有限元法解释了夹杂物尺寸 和形状对疲劳裂纹萌生及初期扩展的影响程度,得到了超高强度钢低周疲劳裂纹萌生与扩展特性和夹杂物对疲劳破坏的关键尺寸的 估计值．同时,讨论了现行实验方法对确定铁基材料裂纹扩展速率的作用．