An improved fatigue life prediction model based on loading sequence

Purpose–In view of the difficulty in determining the key parameters d in the Corten-Dolan model,based on the introduction of small loads,damage degrees and stress states to the Corten-Dolan model and the existing improved model,the sequential effects of the adjacent two-stage load were further considered.Design/methodology/approach–Two improved Corten-Dolan models were established on the basis of modifying the parameter d by two different methods,namely,increasing stress ratio coefficient as well as considering the effects of loading sequence and damage degree as independent influencing factors respectively.According to the test data of the welded joints of common materials(standard 45 steel),alloy materials(standard 16Mn steel)and Q235B steel,the validity and feasibility of the above two improved models for fatigue life prediction were verified.Findings–Results show that,compared with the traditional Miner model and the existing Corten-Dolan improved model,the two improved models have higher prediction accuracy in the fatigue life prediction of welding materials whether under two-stage load or multi-stage load.Originality/value–Because the mathematical expressions of the models are relatively simple and need no multi-layer iterative calculation,it is convenient to predict the fatigue life of welded structure in practical engineering.

Influence of Vertical Load on Lateral-Loaded Monopiles by Numerical Simulation

Monopiles are the most common foundation form of offshore wind turbines,which bear the vertical load,lateral load and bending moment.It remains uncertain whether the applied vertical load increases the lateral deflection of the pile.This paper investigated the influence of vertical load on the behaviour of monopiles installed in the sand under combined load using three-dimensional numerical methods.The commercial software PLAXIS was used for simulations in this paper.Monopiles were modelled as a structure incorporating linear elastic material behaviour and soil was modelled using the Hardening-Soil(HS)constitutive model.The monopiles under vertical load,lateral load and combined vertical and lateral loads were respectively studied taking into account the sequence of load application and pile slenderness ratio(L/D;L and D are the length and diameter of the pile).Results suggest that the sequence of load application plays a major role in how vertical load affects the deflection behaviour of the pile.Specifically,when L/D ratios obtained by lengthening the pile while keeping its diameter constant are 3,5 and 8,the relationships between lateral load and the deflection behaviour of the pile under the effect of vertical load demonstrate a similar trend.Furthermore,the cause of increased lateral capacity of the pile under the action of applied vertical load in the common practical application case and in the VPL case was analyzed by studying the variation law of soil stress along the pile embedment.Results confirm that the confining effect of vertical load increases means effective stress of the soil around the pile,thus increasing soil stiffness and pile capacity.

Investigation on the Folding Mode and Deployment Process of an Inflatable Boarding Platform for the Marine Emergency Evacuation System

Monopiles are the most common foundation form of offshore wind turbines,which bear the vertical load,lateral load and bending moment.It remains uncertain whether the applied vertical load increases the lateral deflection of the pile.This paper investigated the influence of vertical load on the behaviour of monopiles installed in the sand under combined load using three-dimensional numerical methods.The commercial software PLAXIS was used for simulations in this paper.Monopiles were modelled as a structure incorporating linear elastic material behaviour and soil was modelled using the Hardening-Soil(HS)constitutive model.The monopiles under vertical load,lateral load and combined vertical and lateral loads were respectively studied taking into account the sequence of load application and pile slenderness ratio(L/D;L and D are the length and diameter of the pile).Results suggest that the sequence of load application plays a major role in how vertical load affects the deflection behaviour of the pile.Specifically,when L/D ratios obtained by lengthening the pile while keeping its diameter constant are 3,5 and 8,the relationships between lateral load and the deflection behaviour of the pile under the effect of vertical load demonstrate a similar trend.Furthermore,the cause of increased lateral capacity of the pile under the action of applied vertical load in the common practical application case and in the VPL case was analyzed by studying the variation law of soil stress along the pile embedment.Results confirm that the confining effect of vertical load increases means effective stress of the soil around the pile,thus increasing soil stiffness and pile capacity.

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.

Study on the Overload and Dwell-Fatigue Property of Titanium Alloy in Manned Deep Submersible

With the rapid development of ocean technology, the deep-sea manned submersible is regarded as a high-tech equipment for the exploration and exploitation of ocean resources. The safety of manned cabin has a decisive effect on the whole system. Ti-6 Al-4 V with the superior strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance has been used for the manned cabin. The manned cabin experiences loading spectrum with different maximum stresses and different dwell time during their service life. The load sequence effects on dwell fatigue crack growth behavior of Ti-6 Al-4 V under different dwell time are investigated experimentally in this paper. The experimental results show that the crack tip plastic zone is enlarged by the dwell time and the overload retardation zone increases with dwell time under the same overload rate. A dwell fatigue crack growth model is proposed by modifying the crack tip plastic zone under the loading history with combinations of the single overload and dwell time factors are included in the modified model. Based on the experimental data, the overload retardation zone and the crack growth rates of Ti-6 Al-4 V are predicted by the modified model. A reasonable model for the load sequence effect on the dwell fatigue crack growth rates of Ti-6 Al-4 V is verified.

Experimental research on the development of residual strain in seasonal frozen soil under freezing-thawing and impact type traffic loads

Vehicle load is among the main factors affecting the deformation of subgrade soil.In this research study,the concept of impact type traffic load is introduced to investigate the effects of vehicle load based on the dynamic stress and displacement time histories acquired from seasonal frozen subgrade soils.Using freezing-thawing and dynamic triaxial tests and considering the amplitude and loading sequence of impact type traffic load,the residual deformation characteristics of subgrade soil under impact type traffic loads and freezing-thawing cycles is studied.It was found that under impact type traffic load,the residual deformation of soils increased sharply as the amplitude of impact type traffic load increased.It was also found that the increase in the amplitude of impact type traffic load led to the increase of residual deformation in a scale of power and exponential function.The amplitudes of impact type traffic load affect the development stress-strain path of the residual strain.After the soil experienced the proper amount of pre-vibration of the light load,residual deformation decreased by 15%.After freezing-thawing,the residual strain of soil increased as the amplitude of the impact type traffic loads increased.Also,when the amplification effect of freezing-thawing on the residual strain was basically stable,the residual deformation increased by about 10%.The peak impact type traffic load had a large effect on soil deformation after the freezing-thawing process,leading to the observation that of the earlier the peaks,the stronger the effect of freezing-thawing.After the soil was subjected to preloading with a small load,the influence of the freezing-thawing cycles gradually stabilized.The results may be useful in preventing and controlling the risk of subgrade soil failure when construction takes place spring thaw periods.

STACKING SEQUENCE OPTIMIZA-TION OF LAMINATED COMPOSITE CYLINDER SHELL FOR MAXIMAL BUCKLING LOAD

A new optimization method for the optimization of stacking of composite glass fiber laminates is developed. The fiber orientation and angle of the layers of the cylindrical shells are sought considering the buckling load. The proposed optimization algorithm applies both finite element analysis and the mode-pursuing sampling （MPS）method. The algorithms suggest the optimal stacking sequence for achieving the maximal buckling load. The procedure is implemented by integrating ANSYS and MATLAB. The stacking sequence designing for the symmetric angle-ply three-layered and five-layered composite cylinder shells is presented to illustrate the optimization process, respectively. Compared with the genetic algorithms, the proposed optimization method is much faster and efficient for composite staking sequence plan.

Ratcheting behavior of notched stainless steel samples subjected to asymmetric loading cycles

The ratcheting response of 316 stainless steel samples at the vicinity of notch roots under single-and multi-step loading conditions is evaluated.Multi-step tests were conducted to examine local ratcheting at different low–high–high and high–low–low loading sequences.The stress levels over loading steps and their sequences highly influenced ratcheting magnitude and rate.The change of stress level from low to high promoted ratcheting over proceeding cycles while ratcheting strains dropped in magnitude for opposing sequence where stress level dropped from high to low.Local ratcheting strain values at the vicinity of notch root were found noticeably larger than nominal ratcheting values measured at farer distances from notch edge through use of strain gauges.Ratcheting values in both mediums of local and nominal were promoted as notch diameter increased.To assess progressive ratcheting response and stress relaxation concurrently,the Ahmadzadeh-Varvani(A-V)kinematic hardening rule was coupled with Neuber’s rule enabling to calculate local stress at notch root of steel samples.Local stress/strain values were progressed at notch root over applied asymmetric stress cycles resulting in ratcheting buildup through A-V model.The relaxation of stress values at a given peak-valley strain event was governed through the Neuber’s rule.Experimental ratcheting data were found agreeable with those predicted through the coupled framework.