Analysis Approach to Durability Based on Material Initial Fatigue Quality and S-N Curve

Based on probabilistic fracture mechanics approach, a new concept of material initial fatigue quality （MIFQ） is developed. Then, the relation between S-N curve and crack propagation curve is studied. From the study, a new durability analysis method is presented. In this method, S-N curve is used to determine crack growth rate under constant amplitude loading and evaluate the effects of different factors on durability and then the structural durability is analyzed. The tests and analyses indicate that this method has lower dependence on testing, and higher accuracy, reliability and generality and is convenient for application.

Reconstruction of probabilistic S-N curves under fatigue life following lognormal distribution with given confidence

When the historic probabilistic S-N curves are given under special survival probability and confidence levels and there is no possible to re-test, fatigue reliability analysis at other levels can not be done except for the special levels. Therefore, the wide applied curves are expected. Monte Carlo reconstruction methods of the test data and the curves are investigated under fatigue life following lognormal distribution. To overcome the non-conservative assessment of existent man-made enlarging the sample size up to thousands, a simulation policy is employed to address the true production where the sample size is controlled less than 20 for material specimens, 10 for structural component specimens and the errors matching the statistical parameters are less than 5 percent. Availability and feasibility of the present methods have been indicated by the reconstruction practice of the test data and curves for 60Si2Mn high strength spring steel of railway industry.

Structural Stress-Fatigue Life Curve Improvement of Spot Welding Based on Quasi‑Newton Method

ΔF-N curves are usually used to predict the fatigue life of spot welding in engineering,but they are time-consuming and laborious and not universal.For the purpose of predicting the fatigue life of spot welding accurately and efficiently,tensile-shear fatigue tests were conducted to obtain the fatigue life of spot-welded specimens with different sheet thicknesses combinations.These specimens were simulated by using the finite element method,and the structural stress was theoretically calculated.In the double logarithmic coordinate system,the structural stress-fatigue life(S-N)curve of spot welding was fitted by the least-squares method,based on the quasi-Newton method.The square of the correlation coefficient of the S-N curve was taken as the optimization objective,with the correction coefficients of force,bending moment,spot welding diameter,and sheet thickness as the variables.During the optimization process,three different ways were utilized to get three optimized spot welding S-N curves,which are suitable for different situations.The results show that the fitting effect of the S-N curve is improved,the data points are more compact,and the optimization effect is significant.These S-N curves can be used to predict the fatigue life,which provide the basis for practical engineering application.

Unified Principal S-N Equation for Friction Stir Welding of 5083 and 6061 Aluminum Alloys

With the popularization of friction stir welding(FSW),5083-H321 and 6061-T6 aluminum alloy materials are widely used during the FSW process.In this study,the fatigue life of friction stir welding with two materials,i.e.,5083-H321 and 6061-T6 aluminum alloy,are studied.Fatigue tests were carried out on the base metal of these two materials as well as on the butt joints and overlapping FSW samples.The principle of the equivalent structural stress method is used to analyze the FSW test data of these two materials.The fatigue resistances of these two materials were com-pared and a unified principal S-N curve equation was fitted.Two key parameters of the unified principal S-N curve obtained by fitting,Cd is 4222.5,and h is 0.2693.A new method for an FSW fatigue life assessment was developed in this study and can be used to calculate the fatigue life of different welding forms with a single S-N curve.Two main fatigue tests of bending and tension were used to verify the unified principal S-N curve equation.The results show that the fatigue life calculated by the unified mean 50%master S-N curve parameters are the closest to the fatigue test results.The reliability,practicability,and generality of the master S-N curve fitting parameters were verified using the test data.The unified principal S-N curve acquired in this study can not only be used in aluminum alloy materials but can also be applied to other materials.

A GENERAL CONSTITUTIVE RELATION FOR FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH ANALYSIS OF METAL STRUCTURES

Crack growth rate curves are the fundamental material property for metal structures under fatigue loading. Although there are many crack growth rate curves available in the literature, few of them showed the capability to explain various special phenomena observed in tests. A modified constitutive relation recently proposed by McEvily and his co-workers showed very promising capability. This modified constitutive relation is further generalized by (1) introducing an unstable fracture condition; (2) defining a virtual strength to replace the yield stress; and (3) defining an overload and underload parameter. The performances of this general constitutive relation for fatigue crack growth is extensively studied and it is found that this general constitutive relation is able to explain various phenomena observed with particular strong capability on load sequence effect.

High-cycle Fatigue Fracture Behavior of Ultrahigh Strength Steels

The fatigue fracture behavior of four ultrahigh strength steels with different melting processes and therefore different inclusion sizes were studied by using a rotating bar two-point bending fatigue machine in the high-cycle regime up to 107 cycles of loading. The fracture surfaces were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy （FESEM）. It was found that the size of inclusion has significant effect on the fatigue behavior. For AtSI 4340 steel in which the inclusion size is smaller than 5.5 μm, all the fatigue cracks except one did not initiated from inclusion but from specimen surface and conventional S-N curve exists. For 65Si2MnWE and Aermet 100 steels in which the average inclusion sizes are 12.2 and 14.9 μm, respectively, fatigue cracks initiated from inclusions at lower stress amplitudes and stepwise S-N curves were observed. The S-N curve displays a continuous decline and fatigue failures originated from large oxide inclusion for 60Si2CrVA steel in which the average inclusion size is 44.4 pro. In the case of internal inclusion-induced fractures at cycles beyond about 1×10^6 for 65Si2MnWE and 60Si2CrVA steels, inclusion was always found inside the fish-eye and a granular bright facet （GBF） was observed in the vicinity around the inclusion. The GBF sizes increase with increasing the number of cycles to failure Nf in the long-life regime. The values of stress intensity factor range at crack initiation site for the GBF are almost constant with Nf, and are almost equal to that for the surface inclusion and the internal inclusion at cycles lower than about 1×10^6. Neither fish-eye nor GBF was observed for Aermet 100 steel in the present study.

Temperature-dependence of acoustic fatigue life for thermal protection structures

Acoustic fatigue life evaluation is essential for thermal protection struc- tures due to the severe thermo-acoustic load in service. A study on temperature- dependence of acoustic fatigue life for a C/SiC panel is presented in this paper. Effects of temperature on both the structural responses and the S-N curves are investigated. The Dirlik method is adopted to predict the fatigue life of a C/SiC panel at three different temperatures respectively. Significant differences are ob- served from the results of numerical simulations between the fatigue lives of the panel in the three cases. The temperature-dependence of acoustic fatigue life of a C/SiC panel is verified, and fatigue test of the material needs to be more atten- tively performed.

High-cycle fatigue behavior of Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Y alloy under different states

In this study,the tensile and high-cycle fatigue properties of as-cast,solid solution treated and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Y alloy are investigated.The results show that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of as-cast alloy is 198.1 MPa and 222.5 MPa,which are improved to 274.7 MPa and 321.7 MPa,282.4 MPa and 319.3 MPa after solid solution and extrusion treatment,respectively.The high-cycle fatigue strength(at 10^(7)cycles,R=-1)of as-cast studied alloy is 65 MPa,which is improved to 90 MPa and 105 MPa after solid solution and extrusion treatment,respectively.The improvement of fatigue property of the solid solution treated alloy is mainly due to the lattice distortion caused by solid solution hindering the crack propagation.However,the improvement of fatigue property of the as-extruded alloy is mainly due to that the refined grains,stacked dislocations and dispersed secondary particles impede the crack propagation.

Fatigue Topology Optimization Design Based on Distortion Energy Theory and Independent Continuous Mapping Method

Fatigue failure is a common failure mode under the action of cyclic loads in engineering applications,which often occurs with no obvious signal.The maximum structural stress is far below the allowable stress when the structures are damaged.Aiming at the lightweight structure,fatigue topology optimization design is investigated to avoid the occurrence of fatigue failure in the structural conceptual design beforehand.Firstly,the fatigue life is expressed by topology variables and the fatigue life filter function.The continuum fatigue optimization model is established with the independent continuous mapping(ICM)method.Secondly,fatigue life constraints are transformed to distortion energy constraints explicitly by taking advantage of the distortion energy theory.Thirdly,the optimization formulation is solved by the dual sequence quadratic programming(DSQP).And the design scheme of lightweight structure considering the fatigue characteristics is obtained.Finally,numerical examples illustrate the practicality and effectiveness of the fatigue optimization method.This method further expands the theoretical application of the ICM method and provides a novel approach for the fatigue optimization problem.

Parametric Equation of Stress Concentration Factor for Circular X-Joints Under Axial Loads

In engineering practice, tubular X-joints have been widely used in offshore structures. The fatigue failure of tubular X-joints in offshore engineering is mainly caused by axial tensile stress. In this study, the stress concentration factor distribution along the weld toe in the hot spot stress region for tubular X-joints subject to axial loads have been analyzed by use of finite element method. Through numerical analysis, it has been found that the peak stress concentration factor is located at the saddle position. Thereafter, 80 models have been analyzed, and the effect of the geometric parameters of a tubular X-joint on the stress concentration factor has been investigated. Based on the experimental values of the numerical stress concentration factor, a parametric equation to calculate the stress concentration factor of tubular X-joints has been proposed. The accuracy of this equation has been verified against the requirement of the Fatigue Guidance Review Panel, and the proposed equation is found capable of producing reasonably accurate stress concentration factor values for tubular X-joints subject to axial loads.

Gigacycle fatigue behaviors of two SNCM439 steels with different tensile strengthes

Gigacycle fatigue behaviors of two SNCM439 steels with different tensile strengthes were experimentally studied by rotating bending tests,to investigate the effects of the tensile strength obtained by different heat treatment processes on very high cycle fatigue failure mechanisms.The material with higher tensile strength of 1 710 MPa exhibited typical gigacycle fatigue failure characteristics,whereas one with lower tensile strength of 1 010 MPa showed only traditional fatigue limit during the tests and no gigacycle failure could be found even when the specimen ran up to more than 10 8 cycles.Metallographic and fractographic analysis were carried out by an optical microscope （OM） and scanning electron microscope （SEM）.It showed two different crack initiation mechanisms that for the specimen with lower tensile strength the crack prefers surface initiation and for that with higher strength the crack initiates from subsurface inclusions revealed by a fish-eye like microstructure.

Very high cycle fatigue behavior of bridge steel welded joint

Very high cycle fatigue（VHCF） behaviors of bridge steel（Q345） welded joints were investigated using an ultrasonic fatigue test system at room temperature with a stress ratio R = -1. The results show that the fatigue strength of welded joints is dropped by an average of 60% comparing to the base metal and the fatigue failure still occurred beyond 10~7 cycles.The fatigue fracture of welded joints in the low cycle regime generally occurred at the solder while at the heat-affected zone（HAZ） in the very high cycle regime.The fatigue fracture surface was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,showing welding defects such as pore,micro-crack and inclusion were the main factors on decreasing the fatigue properties of welded joints.The effect of welding defects on the fatigue behaviors of welded joints was discussed in terms of experimental results and finite element simulations.

Effect of Varying Carbon Content and Shot Peening upon Fatigue Performance of Prealloyed Sintered Steels

The aim of the work was to find out how the modification of surface treatment and microstructures affect the fatigue characteristics of the considered sintered materials. Two different systems were prepared： as-sintered and shot peened prealloyed sintered （Astaloy CrL based） steels with addition of 0.5% and 0.7% C. Sintering was carried out in laboratory tube furnace in an atmosphere of pure gases 75%N2＋25%H2. The sintering temperature was 1180℃ and sintering time was 60 min. Heating and cooling rates were 10℃/min. Fatigue tests were carried out in symmetric plane bending at stress ratio R=-1 with frequency of about 24 Hz. The presented experimental results showed that prealloyed water-atomised steels, with surface modification, exhibit positive effects on the fatigue failure resistance, and for that reason are suitable for high-performance applications.

Comparison of fatigue property between friction stir and TIG welds

The alloy 5052 was welded by friction stir welding （FSW） and tungsten inert gas （TIG） welding. The effect of welding processes （FSW and TIG） on the fatigue properties of 5052 aluminum-welded joints was analyzed based on fatigue testing, and the S-N curve of the joints were established. The results show that the fatigue properties of FSW welded joints are better than those of TIG welded joints. The fatigue strength is determined as 65 MPa under 106 cycling of fatigue life. The microstructure of joints is fine grains and narrow HAZ zone in FSW welds, which inhibit the growth of cracks and produce high fatigue life compared with that of TIG welds. Fracture morphologies also show that the fatigue fracture results from weld defects.

Effect of weld reinforcement on fatigue properties of A6N01 aluminum alloy welded joint

Fatigue properties of smooth and reinforcement A6N01 aluminum alloy welded joints were characterized in this paper. Based on measured S-lgN curves and fatigue fracture morphologies, effect of weld reinforcement on the fatigue property of the welded joint was studied. Results show that the weld toe is the weakness region of the reinforcement welded joint due to the stress concentration in this area, thus the fatigue fracture occurred at the weld toe for all the reinforcement welded joints; while the fatigue property of the smooth welded joint was improved due to remove of the weld reinforcement, and the welding defect was the key factor of the fatigue fracture, thus its fracture zones mainly located at welding zone and fusion line.

Experimental Study on Medium and Low Cycle Fatigue Properties of Cast Steel GS20Mn5V

Owing to the remarkable advantages in mechanical behavior,cast steel nodes have been widely used in static structures.Nowadays,cast steel nodes also gain increasing popularity due to the superior fatigue performance in dynamic structures,but they are not yet widely used because the fatigue properties of cast steel are not well understood.In this paper,the fatigue test of cast steel GS20Mn5V commonly used in steel castings is carried out.The strength of medium and low cycle fatigue and the fatigue limit are obtained.The feasibility of the estimated S-N(fatigue stress versus life)curve is tested.The double logarithmic linear model(DLLM)and the reversed generalized Pareto model(RGPM)are used to fit the experimental data,and the comparison is made.The P-S-N(the relationship between fatigue stress and life at different survival rates)curve obtained by the RGPM is proposed.The results show that the estimated S-N curve is not suitable for low cycle fatigue life,fitting the experimental data with the RGPM is the best,and obtaining the P-S-N curve from the RGPM is feasible.

Gigacycle Fatigue Behavior of 1800 MPa Grade High Strength Spring Steel for Automobile Lightweight

Gigacycle fatigue behavior of 60Si2CrVA high strength spring steel was investigated by ultrasonic fatigue test machine. Fatigue fractography was observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Maximum inclusion sizes and fatigue strength in different volumes were estimated by statistics of extreme values （SEV） and generalized Pareto distribution （GPD） methods. The results showed that S N curves of 60Si2CrVA spring steels for two rolling processes were not horizontal asymptotes but a gradient in a regime of 109 cycles, and traditional fatigue limits were eliminated. Surface machined topography and inclusions in steel were major factors that led to elimination of fatigue limit for 60Si2CrVA spring steel. The SEV and GPD methods could effectively predict size of the maximum inclusion and fatigue strength in different volumes of 60Si2CrVA spring steel. Predicted fatigue strength was in accordance with experimental results by ultrasonic fatigue testing.

Individual aircraft life monitoring： An engineering approach for fatigue damage evaluation

Individual aircraft life monitoring is required to ensure safety and economy of aircraft structure, and fatigue damage evaluation based on collected operational data of aircraft is an integral part of it. To improve the accuracy and facilitate the application, this paper proposes an engineering approach to evaluate fatigue damage and predict fatigue life for critical structures in fatigue monitoring. In this approach, traditional nominal stress method is applied to back calculate the S-N curve parameters of the realistic structure details based on full-scale fatigue test data. Then the S-N curve and Miner＇s rule are adopted in damage estimation and fatigue life analysis for critical locations under individual load spectra. The relationship between relative small crack length and fatigue life can also be predicted with this approach. Specimens of 7 B04-T74 aluminum alloy and TA15 M titanium alloy are fatigue tested under two types of load spectra, and there is a good agreement between the experimental results and analysis results. Furthermore, the issue concerning scatter factor in individual aircraft damage estimation is also discussed.

Effect of laser shock peening on combined low- and high-cycle fatigue life of casting and forging turbine blades

Laser shock peening （LSP） is a novel effective surface treatment method to improve the fatigue performance of turbine blades. To study the effect of LSP on combined low- and high-cycle fatigue （CCF） life of turbine blades, the CCF tests were conducted at elevated temperatures on two types of full-scale turbine blades, which were made of K403 by casting and GH4133B by forging. Probabilistic analysis was conducted to find out the effect of LSP on fatigue life of those two kinds of blades. The results indicated that LSP extended the CCF life of both casting blades and forging blades obviously, and the effect of LSP on casting blades was more evident; besides, a threshold vibration stress existed for both casting blades and forging blades, and the CCF life tended to be extended by LSP only when the vibration stress was below the threshold vibra- tion stress. Further study of fractography was also conducted, indicating that due to the presence of compressive residual stress and refined grains induced by LSP, the crack initiation sources in LSP blades were obviously less, and the life of LSP blades was also longer; since the compressive residual stress was released by plastic deformation, LSP had no effect or adverse effect on CCF life of blade when the vibration stress of blade was above the threshold vibration stress.

Experimental and finite element analysis on determining the fatigue life of pb-free solder joint(Sn-0.5Cu-3Bi-1Ag)used in electronic packages under harmonic loads

Electronic packages that are used these days are exposed to different types of vibration loadings in their usage environment.This vibration exposure can be categorized as harmonic and random vibrations.When reliability assessment of modern electronic systems is considered,vibration loading has an important role to play.One of the biggest challenges facing today is the accurate and rapid assessment of fatigue life under the vibration loading.Conventional solder joints were made of lead-tin alloy.According to many environment legislations and rules,lead is prohibited as an ingredient in the solder alloy.The reason for the prohibition of the usage of the lead is that it poisons the environment.In this study,Sn-0.5Cu-3Bi-1Ag is used as the lead-free solder alloy.Fatigue life prediction of electronic package containing SAC405 is conducted with the aid of vibration testing and Finite element analysis under harmonic vibration loading.A specially designed Plastic Ball Grid Array Package(PBGA)component is mounted on Printed Circuit Board(PCB).It is taken as a test vehicle for the vibration test.The test vehicle is excited by a sinusoidal vibration.The frequency of this excitation equals the fundamental frequency of the test vehicle and it is continued till the component fails.Since the solder balls are very small for direct measurement,Finite Element analysis(FEA)is used for noting down the stresses.The stress versus failures cycles(S-N)curve is made by relating both the stresses on the solder balls obtained and the number of failure cycles from vibration analysis.The fatigue life of the component can be estimated from the generated S-N curve.It is analyzed that the methodology is effective in predicting the component’s life.Hence,the reliability of electronic package can be improved.