Fatigue Crack Initiation Potential from Defects in terms of Local Stress Analysis

The competition of surface and subsurface crack initiation induced failure is critical to understand very high cycle fatigue（VHCF） behavior, which necessitates the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms for the transition of crack initiation from surface to interior defects. Crack initiation potential in materials containing defects is investigated numerically by focusing on defect types, size, shape, location, and residual stress influences. Results show that the crack initiation potency is higher in case of serious property mismatching between matrix and defects, and higher strength materials are more sensitive to soft inclusions（elastic modulus lower than the matrix）. The stress localization around inclusions are correlated to interior crack initiation mechanisms in the VHCF regime such as inclusion-matrix debonding at soft inclusions and inclusion-cracking for hard inclusions（elastic modulus higher than the matrix）. It is easier to emanate cracks from the subsurface pores with the depth 0.7 times as large as their diameter. There exists an inclusion size independent region for crack incubation, outside which crack initiation will transfer from the subsurface soft inclusion to the interior larger one. As for elliptical inclusions, reducing the short-axis length can decrease the crack nucleation potential and promote the interior crack formation, whereas the long-axis length controls the site of peak stress concentration. The compressive residual stress at surface is helpful to shift crack initiation from surface to interior inclusions. Some relaxation of residual stress can not change the inherent crack initiation from interior inclusions in the VHCF regime. The work reveals the crack initiation potential and the transition among various defects under the influences of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the VHCF regime, and is helpful to understand the failure mechanism of materials containing defects under long-term cyclic loadings.

Fatigue Limit Prediction and Estimation for the Crack Size Rendered Harmless by Peening for Welded Joint Containing a Surface Crack

In this study, the effects of portable pneumatic needle-peening (PPP) on the bending fatigue limit of a low-carbon steel SM490A welded joint containing a semi-circular slit on the weld toe were investigated. PPP was applied to the specimens with a semi-circular slit with depths of a = 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 mm. Then, three-point bending fatigue tests were carried out under R = 0.05. The fatigue limits of low-carbon steel welded specimens containing a semi-circular slit were increased for peened specimens compared with non-peened specimens. Peened specimens having a semicircular slit with a depth of a = 1.2 mm had high fatigue limits, almost equal to those of the non-slit peened specimens. It was concluded that a semi-circular slit with a depth of less than a = 1.2 mm can be rendered harmless by peening. Then, the fatigue improvement by peening was predicted. The fatigue limits before and after peening could be estimated accurately by using a modified Goodman diagram considering the effects of residual stress, stress concentration, and Vickers hardness. Moreover, the maximum depth of a semi-circular slit that can be rendered harmless by PPP was estimated based on fracture mechanics assuming that the semi-circular slit was equivalent to a semi-circular crack. The prediction results were almost consistent with the experimental results.

Microstructure features induced by fatigue crack initiation up to very-high-cycle regime for an additively manufactured aluminium alloy

Fatigue failure can still occur beyond 107 cycles,i.e.very-high-cycle fatigue(VHCF),in many metallic materials,such as aluminium alloys and high-strength steels.For VHCF of high-strength steels,a fine granular area(FGA)surrounding an inclusion is commonly identified as the characteristic region of crack initiation on the fracture surface.However,no such FGA feature and related crack initiation behaviour were observed in VHCF of conventionally cast or wrought aluminium alloys.Here,we first reported the distinct mechanisms of crack initiation and early growth,namely the microstructure feature and the role of FGA in VHCF performance for an additively manufactured(AM)AlSi10Mg alloy.The AM pores play a key role in fatigue crack initiation similar to that of the inclusions in high-strength steels,resulting in almost identical FGA behaviour for different materials under a range of mean stress with a stress ratio at R<0 or R>0.The profile microstructure of FGA is identified as a nanograin layer with Si rearrangement and grain boundary transition.This process consumes a large amount of cyclic plastic energy making FGA undertake a vast majority of VHCF life.These results will deepen the understanding of VHCF nature and shed light on crack initiation mechanism of other aluminium and AM alloys.

Residual stress relaxation in typical weld joints and its effect on fatigue and crack growth

Many factors influence the fatigue and crack growth behavior of welded joints. Some structures often undergo fairly large static loading before they enter service or variable amplitude cyclic loading when they are in service. The combined effect of both applied stress and high initial residual stress is expected to cause the residual stresses relaxation. Only a few papers seem to deal with appropriate procedures for fatigue analysis and crack growth by considering the combined effect of variable amplitude cyclic loading with residual stresses relaxation. In this article, some typical welded connections in ship-shaped structures are investigated with 3-D elastic-plastic finite element analysis. The effect of residual stress relaxation, initial residual stress, and the applied load after variable amplitude cyclic loading is revealed, and a formula for predicting the residual stress at hot spot quantitatively is proposed. Based on the formula, an improved fatigue procedure is introduced. Moreover, crack growth of typical weld joints considering residual stresses relaxation is studied.

Theoretical Study of Fatigue Limit for Crack

The material parameter ρ~*=4c/σ_(-1)~3 is put forward, which represents the crack tip radius independent of crack length under the action of the fatigue limit stress. According to the fatigue notch factor of the crack propagation, K_t=K_t^(1/(3+n))=(4d/ρ~*)^(1/3), the fatigue limits of sharp notch, long crack and short crack are calculated, which are very close to the measurements. The calculated results make it clear that for surface crack the transition point from long crack to short crack is a~*=(ΔK_(th)~3/12.8c)~2, the range of physical short crack (a_s) is ρ~*/4≤a_s≤a~*, the threshold of the fatigue crack initiation is ΔK_(th(i))=0.66 Δσ_(-1) (πρ~*/4)^(1/2), the material parameter that indicates the fatigue crack sensitivity is ρ~*/a~*, which represents the blunting condition of crack tip under the action of the fatigue limit stress.

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.

INFLUENCE OF RESIDUAL STRESS AND SURFACE MORPHOLOGY ON FATIGUE PROPERTIES OF STEEL 60Mn

Influence of residual stress and surface morphology induced by shot-peening on fatigue behav- ior of a medium temperature tempered spring steel 60 Mn has been studied.The compressive residual stress induced in the near-surface region may improve fatigue limit from 930 to 1010 MPa,and the very high tensile residual stress in the interior may reduce it from 1010 to 940 MPa,whereas the severe surface damage may cause a drop-off of it from 1010 down to 800 MPa.Fatigue cracks initiated in such position where the equivalent Mises stress,including residual stress,exceeded the local strength of the material.The compressive residual stress, induced by shot-peening,may intensify the effect of crack closure,so as to decrease the crack growth rate.

Development of multi-physics numerical simulation model to investigate thermo-mechanical fatigue crack propagation in an autofrettaged gun barrel

In this research,a detailed multi-physics study has been carried out by numerically simulating a solid fractured gun barrel for 20 thermo-mechanical cycles.The numerical model is based on thermal effects,mechanical stress fields and fatigue crack mechanics.Elastic-plastic material data of modified AISI 4340 at temperatures ranging from 25 to 1200℃and at strain rates of 4,16,32 and 48 s^(-1) was acquired from high-temperature compression tests.This was used as material property data in the simulation model.The boundary conditions applied are kept similar to the working gun barrel during continuous firing.A methodology has been provided to define thermo-mechanically active surface-to-surface type interface between the crack faces for a better approximation of stresses at the crack tip.Comparison of results from non-autofrettaged and autofrettaged simulation models provide useful information about the evolution of strains and stresses in the barrel at different points under combined thermo-mechanical loading cycles in both cases.The effect of thermal fatigue under already induced compressive yield due to autofrettage and the progressive degradation of the accumulated stresses due to thermo-mechanical cyclic loads on the internal surface of the gun barrel(mimicking the continuous firing scenario)has been analyzed.Comparison between energy release rate at tips of varying crack lengths due to cyclic thermo-mechanical loading in the non-autofrettaged and autofrettaged gun has been carried out.

Effects of laser shock peening on fatigue crack growth rate and fracture properties of AA2524 aluminum alloy

In order to prolong the service life of aircraft skin made from AA2524, the effects of laser shock peening(LSP) on fatigue crack growth(FCG) rate and fracture toughness(K_(c)) of AA2524 were investigated. Multiple LSP treatment was performed on compact tension(CT) specimen from single side and double sides. The surface integrity was measured with Vickers hardness tester, X-ray diffractometer and confocal laser scanning microscope, respectively. FCG rate test and fracture toughness test under plane stress were carried out after LSP treatment. The microstructure features of cross-sections were observed with scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the micro-hardness and residual stress of CT specimens were increased dramatically after LSP treatment. Compared to the base metal(BM), the fatigue life was prolonged by 2.4 times and fracture toughness was increased by 22% after multiple LSP.

Fatigue Crack Propagation Analysis of Orthotropic Steel Bridge with Crack Tip Elastoplastic Consideration

Due to the complex structure and dense weld of the orthotropic steel bridge deck(OSBD),fatigue cracks are prone to occur in the typical welding details.Welding residual stress(WRS)will cause a plastic zone at the crack tip.In this paper,an elastoplastic constitutive model based on the Chaboche kinematic hardening model was introduced,and the extended finite element method(XFEM)was used to study the influence of material elastoplasticity and crack tip plastic zone on the law of fatigue crack propagation.By judging the stress state of the residual stress field at the crack tip and selecting different crack propagation rate models to investigate the crack propagation law when plastic deformation was considered,the propagation path and propagation rate of fatigue crack of the OSBD were obtained.The results show that,whether the residual stress field is considered or not,the plastic deformation at the crack tip will not cause the obvious closure of the fatigue crack at the U-rib toe during the crack propagation process,but will significantly affect the crack propagation path.When material plasticity is considered,the propagation angle of fatigue crack at the U-rib toe basically remains unchanged along the short-axis direction of the initial crack,but is going up along the long-axis direction,and the crack tip plastic zone inhibits the propagation of the crack tip on one side.Compared with linear elastic materials,the crack propagation law considering material plasticity is more consistent with that in actual bridge engineering.In terms of the propagation rate,if the residual stress field is not considered,the fatigue crack propagation rate at U-rib toe with plasticity considered is slightly higher than that without plasticity considered,because plastic deformation will affect the amplitude of energy release rate.When considering the WRS field,the fatigue crack propagation rate at U-rib toe is increased due to the combined actions of plastic deformation and stress ratio R.

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.

Effect of Pre-loading on Short Fatigue Crack Growth at a Notch

Results indicate that under cyclic tension the growth rate of short fatigue crack from notch root will be lowered greatly by tensile pre-loading,but only a little change by compressive pre-loading. The effect of tensile pre-loading will decrease with the increase of stress ratio.The variation of short fatigue crack growth rate is related to the residual stress distribution around notch root.

Estimation of the Fatigue Endurance Limit of HMAC for Perpetual Pavements

A simplified procedure was described to estimate the FEL of three kinds of hot-mix asphalt concrete （HMAC） without doing any fatigue tests. The procedure required two fundamental properties of HMAC, tensile strength under different temperatures and strain rates, and flexural stiffness under different stain levels. This information can reliably be obtained in simple tests, which are the monotonic uniaxial tensile test （MUTT） and the four-point bending test （FPBT）. A new parameter, the initial stress ratio Rinitial, was introduced to connect these two tests, which was defined as the ratio of applied initial stress and tensile strength of the specimen. At last the FEL can be expressed as a function of the initial flexural stiffness, frequency and temperature. Obviously, this procedure has the potential to be very useful in view of long-life pavement design and time consuming traditional fatigue tests.

Ultrahigh cycle fatigue fracture mechanism of high-quality bearing steel obtained through different deoxidation methods

The mechanism of oxide inclusions in fatigue crack initiation in the very-high cycle fatigue(VHCF)regime was clarified by subjecting bearing steels deoxidized by Al(Al-deoxidized steel)and Si(Si-deoxidized steel)to ultrasonic tension-compression fatigue tests(stress ratio,R=−1)and analyzing the characteristics of the detected inclusions.Results show that the main types of inclusions in Si-and Al-deoxidized steels are silicate and calcium aluminate,respectively.The content of calcium aluminate inclusions larger than 15μm in Si-deoxidized steel is lower than that in Al-deoxidized steel,and the difference observed may be attributed to different inclusion generation processes during melting.Despite differences in their cleanliness and total oxygen contents,the Si-and Al-deoxidized steels show similar VHCF lives.The factors causing fatigue failure in these steels reveal distinct differences.Calcium aluminate inclusions are responsible for the cracks in Al-deoxidized steel.By comparison,most fatigue cracks in Si-deoxidized steel are triggered by the inhomogeneity of a steel matrix,which indicates that the damage mechanisms of the steel matrix can be a critical issue for this type of steel.A minor portion of the cracks in Si-deoxidized steel could be attributed to different types of inclusions.The mechanisms of fatigue fracture caused by calcium aluminate and silicate inclusions were further analyzed.Calcium aluminate inclusions first separate from the steel matrix and then trigger crack generation.Silicate inclusions and the steel matrix are closely combined in a fatigue process;thus,these inclusions have mild effects on the fatigue life of bearing steels.Si/Mn deoxidation is an effective method to produce high-quality bearing steel with a long fatigue life and good liquid steel fluidity.

Fatigue properties of rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy plate

Fatigue strength,crack initiation and propagation behavior of rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy plate were investigated. Axial tension-compression fatigue tests were carried out with cylindrical smooth specimens.Two types of specimens were machined with the loading axis parallel(L-specimen)and perpendicular(T-specimen)to rolling direction.Monotonic compressive 0.2%proof stress,tensile strength and tensile elongation were similar for both specimens.On the other hand,monotonic tensile 0.2%proof stress of the L-specimen was slightly higher than that of the T-specimen.Moreover,monotonic compressive 0.2%proof stresses were lower than tensile ones for both specimens.The fatigue strengths of 107cycles of the L-and T-specimens were 95 and 85 MPa,respectively. Compared with the monotonic compressive 0.2%proof stresses,the fatigue strengths were higher for both specimens.In other words, the fatigue crack did not initiate and propagate even though deformation twins were formed in compressive stress under the cyclic tension-compression loading.The fatigue crack initiated at early stage of the fatigue life in low cycle regime regardless of specimen direction.The crack growth rate of the L-specimen was slightly lower than of the T-specimen.Consequently,the fatigue lives of the L-specimen were longer than those of the T-specimen in low cycle regime.

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.

Two-Phase Fatigue Life Prediction of Small-Scale Welded Specimens Based on the Experimental Results

The study aims to calibrate parameters of two-phase fatigue prediction model based on the results of the small-scale fatiguetest experiments for zero stress ratio and without residual stresses, and then to investigate their applicability for differentstress ratios and in the presence of residual stresses. Total fatigue life using the two-phase model consists of crack initiationphase, calculated by strain-life approach, and crack propagation phase, calculated by fracture mechanic’s approach. Calibrationof the fatigue parameters is performed for each phase by fitting numerical to the experimental results. Comparative analysisof calculated and measured fatigue lives is then conducted for different stress ratios, in both stress-relieved and as-weldedconditions. Given that calculation parameters are calibrated for the basic case, uncertainty of predictions is large, showingthat application of the method for real-life complex marine structures is challenging.

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.

TRACKING OBSERVATION ON SUBSURFACE CRACK IN BEARING STEEL GCr15 UNDER ROLLING CONTACT

Based on the sequent tracking observation on spalling of steel GCr15 under rolling contact fa- tigue,an expression for estimating the propagation of subsurface cracks was derived.The rol- ling contact fatigue life was found to be markedly related to the subsurface crack propagation angle.A new explanation of reason why the rolling contact fatigue life can be prolonged by residual compressive stress and retained austenite was advanced.

孔挤压强化对GH4169孔结构高温疲劳裂纹扩展行为影响研究

为探究孔挤压强化对镍基高温合金GH4169孔结构疲劳裂纹扩展行为的影响规律,针对孔挤压强化后螺栓孔特征模拟件开展残余应力松弛及疲劳裂纹扩展试验。结果表明,经热松弛稳定后,孔边依旧可以保持至少400 MPa的残余压应力水平,且孔壁表面残余应力松弛幅度高于内部;孔挤压强化后疲劳裂纹扩展速率降低一个数量级,随着相对挤压量增加,疲劳裂纹扩展速率降低幅度增大,疲劳裂纹扩展寿命增幅为4~22倍。结合有限元仿真及断口分析,孔挤压强化对疲劳裂纹扩展的影响机制可归结为松弛至稳定后的残余压应力抵消部分外载应力,导致有效应力强度因子范围减小,使得疲劳裂纹扩展速率降低。基于该机制,利用残余应力修正的Walker模型对疲劳裂纹扩展寿命进行预测,误差在1.8倍分散带以内。