The Role of Particles in Fatigue Crack Propagation of Aluminum Matrix Composites and Casting Aluminum Alloys

Fatigue crack propagation （FCP） behaviors were studied to understand the role of SiC particles in 10 wt pct SiCp/A2024 composites and Si particles in casting aluminum alloy A356. The results show that a few particles appeared on the fracture surfaces in SiCp/Al composites even at high △K region, which indicates that cracks propagated predominantly within the matrix avoiding SiC particles due to the high strength of the particles and the strong particle/matrix interface. In casting aluminum alloy, Si particle debonding was more prominent.Compared with SiCp/Al composite, the casting aluminum alloy exhibited lower FCP rates, but had a slight steeper slope in the Paris region. Crack deflection and branching were found to be more remarkable in the casting aluminum alloy than that in the SiCp/Al composites, which may be contributed to higher FCP resistance in casting aluminum alloy.

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.

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.

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.

A Probabilistic Model for Fatigue Crack Propagation Analysis

A simple probabilistic model for predicting crack growth behavior under random loading is presented. In the model, the parameters c and m in the Paris-Erdogan Equation are taken as random variables, and their stochastic characteristic values are obtained through fatigue crack propagation tests on an offshore structural steel under constant amplitude loading. Furthermore, by using the Monte Carlo simulation technique, the fatigue crack propagation life to reach a given crack length is predicted. The tests are conducted to verify the applicability of the theoretical prediction of the fatigue crack propagation.

FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION FOR BIAXIAL STRESS CYCLING

Based on the experimental study of complex biaxial mode Ⅰ fatigue crack growth and the discussion on Von Mises'theory,a new approach is proposed for correlating crack propaga- tion rate under both in-phase and out-of-phase biaxial stress cycling.The results emphasize the contribution of plasticity to fatigue crack growth.

Fatigue Crack Propagation in Plain Carbon Dual-phase Steel

The effect of volume fraction V_M and carbon content(%C)_M of martensite was studied on the fa- tigue crack propagation behaviour of plain carbon martensite plus ferrite M+F dual-phase steel.The experimental results show that the △K_(th)decreases and da/dn increases with increasing V_M and (%C)_M at a load ratio R=0.05.High△K_(th)values are obtained by obvious crack closing ability caused by high roughness of the fractured surfaces.

As-extruded AZ31B Magnesium Alloy Fatigue Crack Propagation Behavior

The fatigue crack propagation rate of as-extruded AZ31B magnesium alloy was studied. Compact tension [C（T）] of the notch direction parallel （T-L）, vertical （L-T）, and inclined at 45o to the extrusion direction was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the crack propagation direction is parallel to the extrusion direction for T-L and L-T specimens, whereas the specimen inclined at 45o has an angular deflection of 9° to 11° toward the extrusion direction. The T-L specimen has the fastest fatigue crack propagation rate, and the L-T specimen has the slowest rate, the fatigue crack propagation rate of the specimen inclined at 45o is between the two directions. The crack tip propagates by both transgranular and intergranular fractures. Fatigue fractures consist of cleavage plane or quasi-cleavage and are brittle fractures. The fatigue striation occurs for specimens inclined at 45o and its size is 3-15 μm.

Fatigue Crack Propagation Behavior of TiNi_(50.6)Shape Memory Alloy

The fatigue crack propagation behavior of TiNi50.6 shape memory alloy was studied. The ex- periment results showed that the crack propagation properties of this alloy display difference and similarity in comparison with common metallic materials. Because of the stress concentra- tion there was stress induced martensite transformation (SIMT) near the crack tip though the nominal stress was lower than the threshold stress of SIMT. The position and the amount of SIMT was in situ observed by a quester remote measurement system (QRMS). The observation results showed that the position of SIMT was beside the crack tip and was not in the plastic zone of common metallic materials (in front of the crack tip). The SIMT zone at an angle of about 45°to the direction of the crack propagation, like a butterfly,appeared in the loading process, disappeared in the unloading process and grew larger with the increase of K. The crack propagation rate(da/dN) followed the linear law in lg-lg plot. Observation of the crack surface showed fatigue striation clearly. The relationship between the site and the size of the plastic zone and the SIMT zone is discussed and a model is given to explain both the similarity and the difference of the crack propagation property of TiNi50.6 to common metal materials.

Microstructure-Fatigue Crack Propagation Kinetics Relationships of Rail Steels

Microstructural analysis and fatigue crack propagation behavior of three types of rail steels, was performed. These are premium pearlitic, austenitic manganese （AM） and bainitic rail steels. Rectangular un-notched and notched test specimens were machined from railheads of each material using electrical discharge machining （EDM） and used for the mechanical properties and fatigue evaluation respectively. Bainitic steel has the highest yield strength, ultimate strength, and strain to failure as compared to both pearlitic and austenitic manganese steels. Fatigue studies showed that the crack speed for the bainitic steel is lower than that for the pearlitie and the AM steels over the entire range of the energy release rate. The bainitic steel exhibits a higher rate of crack deceleration in the second stage, as indicated by the lower slope of the fatigue crack propagation kinetics curve in comparison with the pearlitic and manganese rail steels. This attests to the superior fatigue damage tolerance of the bainitic rail steel in comparison to pearlitic and austenitic manganese rail steels. Microstructural analysis of the three rail steels revealed that bainitic steel has a more intricate structure than AM and pearlitic steels. AM steel shows very few signs of being work hardened or toughened, which usually increases the mechanical properties of the material. As the number of alloying elements increase, the microstructure of the steel becomes more complex, resulting in the increase of mechanical properties and fatigue fracture resistance of bainitic rail steel.

In-situ investigation on the fatigue crack propagation behavior in ferrite-pearlite and dual-phase ferrite-bainite low carbon steels

The purpose of this study was to describe the roles of microstructure types and grain boundary characteristics in fatigue crack propagation behavior in ferrite-pearlite steel and ferrite-bainite steel.The ferrite-bainite dual-phase steel was obtained by intermediate heat treatment conducted on ferrite-pearlite low carbon steel.This paper presents the results from investigation using constant stress-controlled fatigue tests with in-situ scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron backscattering diffraction(EBSD) and fatigue fractography analysis.Microscopic images arrested by in-situ SEM showed that the second hard bainite phase distributed in the soft ferrite matrix had a significant effect on preventing the cracks opening compared with pearlite,and that the cracks in ferrite-bainite steel were "locked" in the second hard bainite phase while the crack propagation path in ferrite-pearlite steel was more tortuous.Moreover,the fatigue fracture surface analysis and the coincidence site lattice(CSL) obtained by EBSD indicated that low-CSL grain boundaries in ferrite-bainite steel distributed more uniformly,which has a more significant effect on the resistance of crack propagation.It was revealed that ferrite-bainite dual-phase microstructures could inhibit the fatigue crack propagation more effectively than ferrite-pearlite microstructures.

Numerical study on fatigue crack propagation behaviors in lubricated rolling contact

The surface-initiated Rolling Contact Fatigue(RCF)including pitting and micro-pitting is one of the key issues affecting the reliability of tribological components such as gears and bearings used in various devices.In this work,a surface-initiated crack Finite Element(FE)model which considers the effect of lubricant on crack faces was developed to investigate surface-initiated RCF using an automatic crack propagating Python script.Different lubricating states,initial crack parameters and loading conditions were simulated to analyze the evolution of crack propagation and the Stress Intensity Factors(SIFs).The RCF crack propagation path and life were predicted by employing the Maximum Tangential Stress(MTS)criterion coupled with the Paris’s law.A typical RCF failure is predicted in the numerical simulation.Results reveal that the lubricating pressurization dominates the surface-initiated RCF.In addition,the initial crack angle has a significant effect on the RCF crack propagation path and the fatigue life.

Effect of grain structure on fatigue crack propagation behavior of Al-Cu-Li alloys

Recrystallization behavior during optimized heat treatments provides a potential to obtain desirable grain structure,which significantly improves the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys.The influence of grain structures on fatigue crack propagation(FCP)behaviors of Al-Cu-Li alloy with hot-rolled(HR)and cold-rolled(CR)was investigated.Subgrain boundaries have a significant impact on small crack growth rates,which is reflected in the pronounced fluctuation of fatigue crack growth of HR specimens after solution treatment.Moreover,the specific cellular structure within grains can improve the deformation capacity of alloys due to their accommodation of plastic deformation,which contributes to the lower fatigue crack growth rates and higher threshold values in HR specimens.The intragranular deflection also decelerates the FCP rate and occurs in these regions of large grain without subgrain boundaries.Recrystallization occurs in the CR specimens,resulting in small anisotropy on the fatigue resistance for the different orientations in the Paris stage due to the recrystallization texture.Fatigue cracks can be deflected and tend to propagate along the grain boundaries when it goes into the grain with a relatively low Schmidt factor value.

SLOW PROPAGATION OF FATIGUE CRACK NEAR THRESHOLD

The effect of pearlite interlamellar spacing(d)from 0.31 to 0.77 μm of T8 steel on fatigue crack propagation near threshold has been investigated at different stress ratios(R).The closure stress intensity factor(K_(cl)),the threshold value(ΔK_(th))and crack tip opening dis- placement range(ΔCOD)were measured.The results show that pearlite interlamellar spac- ing in this range has no effect on K_(cl),but has effect on the threshold value in low stress ratio. The threshold value is higher for materials with larger interlamellar spacing.No matter what the stress ratio is,during the propagation near threshold,the propagation rate will be the same,provieded the crack tip opening displacement range is the same. Metallurgical examinations were also carried out to show that the crack propagation path is sensitive to mierostructure.The crack always propagates along either boundary of pearlite colony or ferrite lamellar in pearlite.

Effects of Ag Addition on Precipitation and Fatigue Crack Propagation Behavior of a Medium-Strength Al–Zn–Mg Alloy

Effects of trace addition of Ag on the fatigue crack propagation behavior and microstructure of a mediumstrength aged AI-Zn-Mg alloy were investigated in the present work. The results show that a combination of enhanced tensile strength and improved fatigue crack propagation resistance in Al-Zn-Mg alloys is achieved with small addition of Ag. The enhanced strength is attributed to the high density of η＇ precip- itates within the grains and narrow precipitate free zones in the vicinity of grain boundaries. The main contribution to the improvement of fatigue crack propagation resistance comes from the coarser precipitates within the grains. When subjected to two-step aging. Ag-added alloy shows larger semi-coherent matrix precipitates. These relatively coarser precipitates increase the homogeneity of deformation and therefore improve the fatigue crack propagation resistance. In addition, microstructure analysis indicates that the size and distribution of inclusions as well as the grain structures of Al-Zn-Mg alloys are independent of Ag addition.

Fatigue Crack Propagation Behavior of Rubber-toughened Epoxy Resin

Fatigue crack propagation (FCP) behaviors of mass fraction 15% CTBN (carboxyl terminated butadiene acrylonitrile), 15% Qishi toughening agent toughened anhydride cured epoxy resins (EP), and pure anhydride cured EP were measured. The results showed that the two main toughening mechanisms, localized shear yielding and void plastics growth, which occurred near the threshold region because the rubber size is much less than the plastics size at the crack front, improved the near threshold FCP behavior and increased the threshold. The stable FCP behavior was obviously improved with the FCP rates decreased to less than 21%.

Fatigue crack propagation across grain boundary of Al-Cu-Mg bicrystal based on crystal plasticity XFEM and cohesive zone model

In this paper,a methodology integrating crystal plasticity(CP),the eXtended finite element method(XFEM)and the cohesive zone model(CZM)is developed for an Al-Cu-Mg alloy to predict fatigue crack propagation(FCP)across grain boundary(GB)of Al-Cu-Mg alloy during stageІІ.One GB model is incor-porated into FCP constitutive law to describe grain interaction at GB.A bicrystal containing GB is built up to simulate FCP behavior through L participated GBs.Modelling features including GB characteristic,cumulative plastic strain(CPS)distribution and crystal slipping evidence can be identified.The numer-ical results are compared with published experimental data to check the accuracy of model.This work demonstrates that the combination of CP containing GB constitutive laws,XFEM and CZM is a promising methodology in predicting twist angle-controlled crack deflection through GBs.

Compliance-based testing method for fatigue crack propagation rates of mixed-modeⅠ-Ⅱcracks

Mixed-mode I-II crack-based fatigue crack propagation(FCPⅠ-Ⅱ)usually occurs in engineering structures;however,no theoretical formula or effective compliance test methods have been established for FCPI-IIto date.For mixed-mode I-II flawed components,based on the principle of mean-value energy equivalence,we propose a theoretical method to describe the relationship between material elastic parameters,geometrical dimensions,load(or displacement),and energy.Based on the maximum circumferential stress criterion,we propose a uniform compliance model for compact tensile shear(CTS)specimens with horizontal cracks deflecting and propagating(flat-folding propagation)under different loading angles,geometries,and materials.Along with an innovative design of the fixture of CTS specimens used for FCPI-IItests,we develop a new compliancebased testing method for FCPⅠ-Ⅱ.For the 30Cr2Ni4MoV rotor steel,the FCP rates of modeⅠ,modeⅡ,and mixed-modeⅠ-Ⅱcracks were obtained via FCP tests using compact tension,Arcan,and CTS specimens,respectively.The obtained da/d N versusΔJ curves of the FCP rates are close.The loading angleαand dimensionless initial crack length a0/W demonstrated negligible effects on the FCP rates.Hence,the FCP rates of mode I crack can be used to predict the residual life of structural crack propagation.

Influence of chemical liquids on the fatigue crack growth of the AZ31 magnesium alloy

The fatigue crack growth behavior of an AZ31 magnesium alloy was investigated by comparing the effect of zirconate and phos-phate chemical liquids. The morphology, components, and phase compositions of the chemical depositions at the fatigue crack tip were analyzed by employing scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）, and X-ray diffraction （XRD）, respectively. For samples with and without the chemical liquids, their stress-intensity factor values at the fatigue crack tip were compared by using a stress-strain gauge. The results demonstrated that a zirconate film （ZrxOy-ZnxOy） and a phosphate film （Zn3（PO4）2·4H2O and MgZnP2O7） could be formed on the fatigue crack-surface at the fatigue crack tip. The stress distribution was changed because of the chemical depositions and the causticity of the chemical liquids. This could decrease the stress-intensity factor value and thus effectively cause fatigue crack closure, which reduces the fatigue crack growth rate. Moreover, it was found that the fatigue crack closure effect of zirconates was more positive than that of phosphates.

Fatigue small crack growth threshold determination of a high-Nb TiAl alloy at different temperatures by in-situ observation

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the fatigue crack growth threshold of a high-Nb TiAl alloy at the different temperatures based on scanning electron microscopy （SEM） in-situ observation. The results indicated that the fatigue crack growth threshold △Kth of a nearly lamellar high-Nb TiAl alloy with 8% Nb content at room temperature and 750℃ was determined as 12.89 MPa.m^1/2 and 8.69 MPa.m^1/2, respectively. The effect of the elevated temperature on the fatigue crack growth threshold cannot be ignored. At the same time, the early stage of fatigue crack propagation exhibited multicrack initiation and bridge-link behavior.