The effects of stress ratio and grain size on near-threshold fatigue crack propagation in low-carbon steel

The effects of the stress ratio and the grain size on the fatigue crack growth near the threshold in a low carbon steel were analysed based on the crack-closure measurement and the microscopic observations of cracktip slip deformation and the fracture surface. The low-rate region A was divided into regions A1 and A2 in the relation of the rate against the effective stress intensity range. In regions A2 and B, the rate was expressed in a unique power function of the effective range without respect to the stress ratio and the grain size. In region A1 very close to the threshold, the rate was slower for larger grain sized material, and the effective threshold stress intensity factor increased linearly with the square root of the grain size. The slip-band zone in this region was rather independent of the stress intensity and was sized by the grain dimension. A model of the crack-tip slip bands blocked by the grain boundary was confirmed to be useful for analysing very slow growth as well as the threshold condition. The shear-mode fracture surface observed on the surface in region A1suggests the repeated nucleation mechanism for crack growth. The effects of the stress ratio and the grain size on the crack closure behavior near the threshold was quantified.     

Effect of stress ratio on the rate of growth of fatigue cracks in 1100 Al-alloy

Axial load fatigue crack propagation tests were conducted on notched sheet specimens made of 1100 aluminum alloy. These tests were made at stress ratios R (ratio of the minimum stress to the maximum stress) ranging from −0.5 to 0.5 in order to study the effects of stress ratio on fatigue crack growth. Experimental fatigue crack propagation data were analysed using Paris-Erdo an stress intensity analysis. The data from the tests at different stress ratios showed that two regions, namely, region I and region II were present.     

On the effect of cyclic stress ratio on the fatigue crack propagation

A new model of fatigue crack propagation is proposed which takes the effect of cyclic stress ratio into account. In the model it is assumed that the fatigue crack propagation rate is proportional to the absorbed hysterisis energy per stress cycle at the tip of a crack. The energy is calculated from stress field resulting from the Dugdak-Barenblatt Model and strain field from an experimental result. The model was applied to analyse the experiments on several materials.     

The effects of creep and fatigue stress ratio on the long-term behaviour of angle-ply CFRP

The long-term behaviour of ±45°-angle-ply laminates of carbon/epoxy was studied. Due to the absence of 0°-layers angle-ply laminates are subject to cyclic creep. The creep strain evolution was investigated by experimental and analytical means. To predict the total strain depending on the applied stress level and load time an empirical creep law based on power law functions was adopted. Good agreement between experiment and prediction was found. The interaction between creep and fatigue was used to estimate a lower bound of the endurance limit based on creep predictions exclusively.     

Effect of notch root radius on the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks

Under the conditions of constant nominal applied stress, increasing notch root radius causes an increase in the number of cycles to initiate a fatigue crack at a notch root. An explanation of the effect is given in terms of the effective stress concentration factor of the notch. Data are presented which indicate that variations in notch root radius may cause changes in the crack growth rate during the initial stages of propagation from a notch.     

On propagation of short rolling contact fatigue cracks

Recent accidents involving railway rails have aroused demand for improved and more efficient rail maintenance strategies to reduce the risk of unexpected rail fracture. Numerical tools can aid in generating maintenance strategies: this investigation deals with the numerical modelling and analysis of short crack growth in rails. Factors that influence the fatigue propagation of short surface‐breaking cracks (head checks) in rails are assessed. A proposed numerical procedure incorporates finite element (FE) calculations to predict short crack growth conditions for rolling contact fatigue (RCF) loading. A parameterised FE model for the rolling‐sliding contact of a cylinder on a semi‐infinite half space, with a short surface breaking crack, presented here, is used in linear‐elastic and elastic–plastic FE calculations of short crack propagation, together with fracture mechanics theory. The crack length and orientation, crack face friction, and coefficient of surface friction near the contact load are varied. The FE model is verified for five examples in the literature. Comparison of results from linear‐elastic and elastic–plastic FE calculations, shows that the former cannot describe short RCF crack behaviour properly, in particular 0.1–0.2 mm long (head check) cracks with a shallow angle; elastic–plastic analysis is required instead.     

Influence of stress ratio on the threshold level for fatigue crack propagation in high strength steels

Centrally cracked specimens of JIS SM58Q and HT80 steels were fatigued. The fatigue crack growth rates, da/dn, and the stress intensity threshold levels, ΔK_th were measured over the range of stress ratio, R, from ?1 to 0.8 by the use of an automatic method of continuously decreasing stress intensity factor with crack extension. The measured ΔK_th was well represented as |ΔK_th/2|_R=(1?R)γ|ΔK_th/2|_R=0; and the propagation rate, as da/dn = A(1?R)^γm[(ΔK/2)^m ? {(1 ? R)^γ|ΔK_th/2|R=0}^m] for ?1≦R≦0.33 or da/dn = A(1 ? 0.33)^?γm [(ΔK/2)^m {(1 ? R)^γ |ΔK_th/2|R=0}^m] for 0.33 < ≦ 0.8.     

Some characteristics of fatigue crack propagation of surface cracks

Semi-elliptical surface cracks, growing due to cyclic loading of plates, undergo significant shape change during the propagation process. An equation for predicting this shape variation for any combination of tension and bending loading is presented. These growing cracks change their shapes such that they follow preferred propagation patterns (PPPs). These PPPs are determined herein for any combination of tension and bending loading. Some of the main characteristics of the PPP are determined and discussed. It is shown that for a given cyclic loading field, the PPP represents an upper limit on the aspect ratio of any surface crack growing due to this cyclic loading.     

Effect of material plasticity on fatigue crack propagation under complex stress state

The maximum energy release rate criterion, i.e., G _max criterion, is commonly used for crack propagation analysis. However, this fracture criterion is based on the elastic macroscopic strength of materials. In the present investigation, a modification has been made to G _max criterion to implement the consideration of the plastic strain energy. This criterion is extended to study the fatigue crack growth characteristics of mixed mode cracks in steel pipes. To predict crack propagation due to fatigue loads, a new elasto-plastic energy model is presented. This new model includes the effects of material properties like strain hardening exponent n, yield strength σ_y and fracture toughness and stress intensity factor ranges. The results obtained are compared with those obtained using the commonly employed crack growth law and the experimental data.     

Effect of stress ratio on fatigue behaviour in SiC particulate-reinforced aluminium alloy composite

Axial fatigue tests have been performed at three different stress ratios, R, of ?1, 0 and 0.4 using smooth specimens of an aluminium alloy composite reinforced with SiC particulates of 20 μm particle size. The effect of stress ratio on fatigue strength was studied on the basis of crack initiation, small crack growth and fracture surface analysis. The stress ratio dependence of fatigue strength that has been commonly observed in other materials was obtained, in which fatigue strength decreased with increasing stress ratio when characterized in terms of stress amplitude. At R=?1, the fatigue strength of the SiC_p/Al composite was the same as that of the unreinforced alloy, but at R= 0 and 0.4 decreased significantly, indicating a detrimental effect of tensile mean stress in the SiC_p/Al composite. The modified Goodman relation gave a fairly good estimation of the fatigue strength at 10⁷ cycles in the unreinforced alloy, but significantly unconservative estimation in the SiC_p/Al composite. At R= 0 and 0.4, cracks initiated at the interfaces between SiC particles and the matrix or due to particle cracking and then grew predominantly along the interfaces, because debonding between SiC particles and the matrix occurred easily under tensile mean stress. Such behaviour was different from that at R=?1. Therefore, it was concluded that the decrease in fatigue strength at high stress ratios and the observed stress ratio dependence in the SiC_p/Al composite were attributed to the different fracture mechanisms operated at high stress ratios.