THE EFFECT OF CATHODIC PROTECTION POTENTIAL ON CORROSION FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH RATE OF AN OFFSHORE STRUCTURAL STEEL

Abstract— Duplicate tests have been performed to determine the effect of cathodic protection potential on corrosion fatigue crack growth rate of a modern offshore structural steel, produced by thermo-mechanically controlled processes. The experiments were carried out using compact tension specimens exposed to artificial seawater at 10°C and subjected to constant amplitude loading at 0.35 Hz. Reproducible results showed that the merits of cathodic protection potentials are strongly dependent on stress intensity ratio R and stress intensity range Δ K . It appears that a specific value of cathodic potential may not give comprehensive protection against corrosion fatigue within the spectrum of variable amplitude loading experienced in service. Fractography showed the initiation of secondary cracks on the fracture surface to be associated with the dissolution of calcium sulphide inclusions, regardless of imposed cathodic potential.     

Finite element modelling of skeletal muscles coupled with fatigue

In this study, Hill's muscle theory coupled with fatigue was proposed to describe mechanical behaviours of skeletal muscles. The force developed by a fatigued muscle was described by a muscle fatigue formula which was a time function of the activation α_a and the stretch λ. The modified Hill's muscle theory was hence incorporated into a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model using the PAK finite element code. In this paper, the theoretical derivation of the 3D muscle model was firstly described. After presenting the method of establishing the finite element programme, a case example of studying the mechanical response of a frog gastrocnemius muscle was used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed methodology. The effects of the muscle fatigue on the deformation as well as the stress and strain distribution of the frog muscle subject to a cyclic activation function have been determined. An experiment capturing the real-time shape change of a frog muscle was also conducted to assess the applicability of the proposed method. A comparison between the deformed shapes of the predictive model and the frog muscles was also made. It was shown that the method is capable of providing a reasonable model for describing the mechanical behaviour of skeletal muscles.     

抽油杆疲劳寿命计算研究

抽油杆是有杆抽油中三抽设备的关键部件之一。其服役寿命直接影响油井的产量、失效概率以及修井作业的成本,准确预测其疲劳寿命具有十分重要的意义。对直井和定向井分别建立了计算抽油杆轴向载荷的数学模型,计算出了抽油杆所受的轴向力。同时,建立了疲劳寿命的预测模型,计算了不同形状裂纹的几何形状因子和应力强度因子。并根据以上理论,编写了计算机程序,能计算有初始裂纹和无初始裂纹抽油杆柱的疲劳寿命。采用Forman模型预测抽油杆疲劳寿命,其特点是在Paris模型的基础上考虑了应力比R,计算结果更加准确。同时,分析比较计算结果可得:裂纹初始长度对抽油杆柱的使用寿命影响较大。文中给出的方法简单,精度较高,便于工程应用。     

激光冲击处理提高铝合金性能的研究

研究了高功率密度激光冲击处理对Ｌｙ１２ＣＺ铝合金力学性能的影响，研究结果表明激光冲击处理可大幅度提高铝合金的疲劳寿命，疲劳寿命的提高是由于微观组织中位错密度的明显增加，使得材料表层的强度和硬度也明显增加所致。     

20Cr_（2）Ni_（4）W钢钴粉涂层激光合金化的试验研究

本文采用２ｋＷＣＯ_２激光器对２０Ｃｒ_（２）Ｎｉ_（４）Ｗ钢进行了激光表面钴合金化的试验研究。用光学显微镜、扫描电镜、电子探针、Ｘ射线衍射、透射电镜、显微硬度计等手段分析了合金化区域的成分、组织和性能。结果表明，激光表面钴合金化可获得含钴均匀的合金化层，合金化层的高温硬度和热疲劳性能均有提高，在热作工具钢表面性能优化领域有着良好的应用前景。     

High temperature low cycle fatigue

Fatigue at high temperature is a complex phenomenon as it is influenced by a number of time-dependent processes which become important at elevated temperatures. These processes include creep, oxidation, phase instabilities and dynamic strain ageing (DSA), acting either independently or synergistically influence fatigue behaviour, often lowering the fatigue life. Current design approaches employ linear summation of fatigue and creep damage with suitable factors on permissible damage to take care of uncertainties in interaction between cyclic and time-dependent processes. It is, therefore, important to develop a deeper understanding of the processes that occur during high temperature fatigue so that realistic life predictions could be made. Results on the high temperature fatigue behaviour of austenitic stainless steels, ferritic steels and nickel base alloys are presented here. The important mechanisms of interaction of high temperature time-dependent processes with fatigue under various conditions are discussed in detail. Emphasis is placed on cyclic stress response, fatigue life, deformation substructure and fracture behaviour. This is followed by a review of important life prediction techniques under combined creep-fatigue loading conditions. Life prediction techniques considered here include linear damage summation, strain range partitioning, ductility exhaustion approach, frequency modified and frequency separation methods, techniques based on hysteresis energy and damage rate models, and methods based on crack-cavitation interation models.     

Cyclic X-Y mechanical tests: A new method to perform in situ reversed-deformation experiments in the high-voltage electron microscope

There has been, in the past, only limited success with in situ cyclic or reversed plastic deformation tests in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). This is probably partly due to problems associated with buckling of the foil when an applied tensile or shear stress is reversed. Mechanical analysis shows that dislocation movement can be reversed by tensile stressing in alternating perpendicular directions (i.e., 90° rotations of a tensile stress); thus buckling of the foil can be avoided. A design for performing such X-Y in situ TEM tests is presented, with observations that demonstrate its feasibility.     

Ti_3Al PHASE PRECIPITATION DURING VIBRATION FATIGUING FOR A TITANIUM ALLOY

Ｔｉ_３ＡｌＰＨＡＳＥＰＲＥＣＩＰＩＴＡＴＩＯＮＤＵＲＩＮＧＶＩＢＲＡＴＩＯＮＦＡＴＩＧＵＩＮＧＦＯＲＡＴＩＴＡＮＩＵＭＡＬＬＯＹ￥ＴａｏＣｈｕｎｈｕ；ＺｈａｎｇＳｈａｏｑｉｎｇ；ＹａｎＭｉｎｇｇａｏ（ＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＡｅｒｏｎａｕｔｉｃａｌＭ?..     

AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE GROWTH OF SMALL CORNER FATIGUE CRACKS IN ALUMINIUM 6061-T651

Results of an experimental investigation of the fatigue growth of small corner cracks emanating from small flaws are presented. Growth-arrest behaviour was observed, and increases in crack length during growth periods were of the order of the transverse grain size. For the test material, the corner crack front intersects, on average, only three–six grains in the small crack regime monitored, so only a small number of constrained, interior grains is encountered. It is suggested that the presence of partially constrained surface grains may contribute to the 'anomalous' growth behaviour which has been observed by a number of investigators.
The crack growth histories of the test data presented exhibit considerable scatter. It is shown that a Student's t -test can be used to estimate confidence intervals in order to provide a measure of the observed scatter. The variation in confidence intervals in the transition from small to long fatigue crack growth is discussed.