Investigations of ferritic/martensitic super heat resistant 11‐12 %Cr steels for 650 °C power plants

The investigations of advanced ferritic/martensitic 11–12 %Cr steels for 650 °C power plant components focus on the improvement of high‐temperature creep properties with respect to chemical composition. The claim of the DFG research work was the development of new heat‐resistant 12 %Cr ferritic‐martensitic steels with sufficient creep and oxidation resistance for a 650 °C application by using basic principles and concepts of physical metallurgy on the basis of the state of art and to overcome the usual trial and error industrial alloy development. Efforts are focussed on a 100,000h creep strength of 100MPa at 650 °C in combination with a sufficient corrosion resistance by a Cr content of 12 % with contents 4‐5 %W, 3.4‐5,5 %Co, V, B and 1 %Cu as well as the choice of Ta or Ti instead of Nb. The results demonstrate that the aim is not to realize with the used alloying concept. In the long term range all 12 %Cr melts have a lower creep rupture strength than the advanced 9 %Cr piping steel P92. A high creep strength could be reached with a 0.06 % Ta alloyed 11 %Cr melt, which is in addition alloyed with a higher C and B content and as well as with lower W and Co portions. The results indicate in accordance with the finding of other steel researcher that a lower Cr content allows more effectiveness for the alloying partners respectively for the generation of more stable precipitates.     

Multiaxial fatigue behaviour of a short‐fibre reinforced polyamide – experiments and calculations

This paper deals with the fatigue behaviour of a short fibre reinforced thermoplastic under multi‐axial cyclic stress. Based on experimental results on notched and plain specimens, limits of existing methods for the fatigue life estimation in the design process of components exposed to complex multi‐axial loads were investigated. During the manufacturing process of short fibre reinforced thermoplastic components, a moderately anisotropic behaviour in stiffness and strength arises. Because of the material's anisotropy, classical failure hypotheses for the assessment of multiaxial load cases do not apply. In this study, a fatigue failure hypothesis was implemented that assesses the stress components in accordance with the correlating fatigue strengths in the material coordinate system, considering potential interaction between the stress components. Striving for a verified multi‐usable fatigue life assessment method, multiaxial load cases were examined experimentally. The experimental results on unnotched and notched specimens and the fatigue life estimation on the basis of the Tsai‐Wu‐failure hypothesis will be presented.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on thermo‐mechanical fatigue test for aluminium cast alloy

Evaluation of the thermo‐mechanical behaviour and prediction of the service life of cast aluminium alloys are important for the design of automobile engine cylinder heads. In this study, cast Al alloy specimens are extracted from cylinder heads and subjected to in‐phase thermo‐mechanical cyclic loading. The hysteresis curves related to stress and strain were recorded under the individual thermo‐mechanical loading conditions. The number cycles to failure corresponding to multiple mechanical strain and temperature ranges were obtained. It is found that the cyclic stress amplitude decreases and the cyclic softening rate increases with increasing maximum temperature rise. A modified fatigue‐creep model based on energy conservation has been developed for prediction of the fatigue life of cylinder heads. The proposed method shows good agreement with the well‐established Ostergren model and low standard deviations. In summary, the proposed method described in this study provides an option for prediction of the thermo‐mechanical behaviour of metals.     

A multi‐axial low‐cycle fatigue life prediction model considering effects of additional hardening

It is generally accepted that the additional hardening of materials could largely shorten multi‐axis fatigue life of engineering components. To consider the effects of additional hardening under multi‐axial loading, this paper summarizes a new multi‐axial low‐cycle fatigue life prediction model based on the critical plane approach. In the new model, while critical plane is adopted to calculate principal equivalent strain, a new plane, subcritical plane, is also defined to calculate a correction parameter due to the effects of additional hardening. The proposed fatigue damage parameter of the new model combines the material properties and the angle of the loading orientation with respect to the principal axis and can be established with Coffin‐Manson equation directly. According to experimental verification and comparison with other traditional models, it is clear that the new model has satisfactory reliability and accuracy in multi‐axial fatigue life prediction.     

Ratcheting‐fatigue behaviour of bainite 2.25Cr1MoV steel with tensile and compressed hold loading at 455°C

The ratcheting behaviour of a bainite 2.25Cr1MoV steel was studied with various hold periods at 455°C. Particular attention was paid to the effect of stress hold on whole‐life ratcheting deformation, fatigue life, and failure mechanism. Results indicate that longer peak hold periods stimulate a faster accumulation of ratcheting strain by contribution of creep strain, while double hold at peak and valley stress has an even stronger influence. Creep strains produced in peak and valley hold periods are noticeable and result in higher cyclic strain amplitudes. Dimples and acquired defects are found in failed specimen by microstructure observation, and their number and size increase under creep‐fatigue loading. Enlarged cyclic strain amplitude and material deterioration caused by creep lead to fatigue life reduction under creep‐fatigue loading. A life prediction model suitable for asymmetric cycling is proposed based on the linear damage summation rule.     

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.     

Biaxial fatigue for proportional and non‐proportional loading paths

In order to study the use of a local approach to predict crack‐initiation life on notches in mechanical components under multiaxial fatigue conditions, the study of the local cyclic elasto‐plastic behaviour and the selection of an appropriate multiaxial fatigue model are essential steps in fatigue‐life prediction. The evolution of stress–strain fields from the initial state to the stabilized state depends on the material type, loading amplitude and loading paths. A series of biaxial tension–compression tests with static or cyclic torsion were carried out on a biaxial servo‐hydraulic testing machine. Specimens were made of an alloy steel 42CrMo4 quenched and tempered. The shear stress relaxations of the cyclic tension–compression with a steady torsion angle were observed for various loading levels. Finite element analyses were used to simulate the cyclic behaviour and good agreement was found. Based on the local stabilized cyclic elastic–plastic stress–strain responses, the strain‐based multiaxial fatigue damage parameters were applied and correlated with the experimentally obtained lives. As a comparison, a stress‐invariant‐based approach with the minimum circumscribed ellipse (MCE) approach for evaluating the effective shear stress amplitude was also applied for fatigue life prediction. The comparison showed that both the equivalent strain range and the stress‐invariant parameter with non‐proportional factors correlated well with the experimental results obtained in this study.     

Creep–fatigue crack development from short crack starters

Abstract

A series of isothermal strain controlled creep–fatigue tests on fully instrumented cylindrical specimens with shallow chordal crack starters has been conducted for an advanced 9%Cr turbine rotor steel at 600 and 625°C. Cyclic/hold wave shapes involving a dwell period at peak strain in tension or compression were also performed with crack development being monitored by means of electrical potential drop instrumentation. It is found that temperature, total strain range and hold period are the most influential factors on short creep–fatigue crack propagation rates and specimen life. In order to establish a reliable relationship to represent subcritical crack development for high temperature component integrity assessment, the effectiveness of candidate correlating parameters such as cyclic strain range, cyclic J integral and strain energy density factor have been evaluated. Their application to circumstances involving short crack development due to fatigue, and interacting and non-interacting creep loading are evaluated with reference to the evidence determined from post-test metallurgical examination.     

Low‐cycle fatigue life prediction of various metallic materials under multiaxial loading

This paper proposed a simple life prediction model for assessing fatigue lives of metallic materials subjected to multiaxial low‐cycle fatigue (LCF) loading. This proposed model consists of the maximum shear strain range, the normal strain range and the maximum normal stress on the maximum shear strain range plane. Additional cyclic hardening developed during non‐proportional loading is included in the normal stress and strain terms. A computer‐based procedure for multiaxial fatigue life prediction incorporating critical plane damage parameters is presented as well. The accuracy and reliability of the proposed model are systematically checked by using about 300 test data through testing nine kinds of material under both zero and non‐zero mean stress multiaxial loading paths.     

Multiaxial notch fatigue life prediction based on the dominated loading control mode under variable amplitude loading

A new calculation approach is suggested to the fatigue life evaluation of notched specimens under multiaxial variable amplitude loading. Within this suggested approach, if the computed uniaxial fatigue damage by the pure torsional loading path is larger than that by the axial tension–compression loading path, a shear strain‐based multiaxial fatigue damage parameter is assigned to calculate multiaxial fatigue damage; otherwise, an axial strain‐based multiaxial fatigue damage parameter is assigned to calculate multiaxial fatigue damage. Furthermore, the presented method employs shear strain‐based and axial strain‐based multiaxial fatigue damage parameters in substitution of equivalent strain amplitude to consider the influence of nonproportional additional hardening. The experimental data of GH4169 superalloy and 7050‐T7451 aluminium alloy notched components are used to illustrate the presented multiaxial fatigue lifetime estimation approach for notched components, and the results reveal that estimations are accurate.     

Use of an energy‐based/critical plane model to assess fatigue life under low‐cycle multiaxial cycles

For engineering components subjected to multiaxial loading, fatigue life prediction is crucial for guaranteeing their structural security and economic feasibility. In this respect, energy‐based models, integrating the stress and strain components, are widely used because of their availability in fatigue prediction. Through employing the plastic strain energy concept and critical plane approach, a new energy‐based model is proposed in this paper to evaluate the low‐cycle fatigue life, in which the critical plane is defined as the maximum damage plane. In the proposed model, a newly defined NP factor κ^*  is used to quantify the nonproportional (NP) effect so that the damage parameter can be conveniently calculated. Moreover, a simple estimation method of weight coefficient is developed, which can reflect different contributions of shear and normal plastic strain energy on total fatigue damage. Experimental data of 10 kinds of materials are employed to assess the effectiveness of this model as well as three other energy‐based models.     

Effect of cyclic loading on subsequent creep behaviour and its implications in creep–fatigue life assessment

Abstract

Evaluation of creep–fatigue failure is essential in design and fitness evaluation of high-temperature components in power generation plants. Cyclic deformation may alter the creep properties of the material and taking cyclic effects into account may improve the accuracy of creep–fatigue failure life prediction. To evaluate such a possibility, creep tests were conducted on 316FR and modified 9Cr–1Mo steel specimens subjected to prior cyclic loading; their creep deformation and rupture behaviours were compared with those of as-received materials. It was found that creep rupture life and elongation generally decreased following cyclic loading in both materials. In particular, the rupture elongation of 316FR in long-term creep conditions drastically decreases as a result of being cyclically deformed at a large strain range. Use of creep rupture properties after cyclic deformation, instead of those of as-received material, in strain-based and energy-based life estimation approaches brought about a clear improvement of creep–fatigue life prediction.     

Prediction of multiaxial fatigue life for complex three‐dimensional stress state considering effect of additional hardening

In engineering practice, it is generally accepted that most of components are subjected to multiaxial stress‐strain state. To analyse this complicated loading state, different types of specimens of 2A12 (2124 in the United States) aluminium alloy were tested under multiaxial loading conditions and a new multiaxial fatigue analysis method for the state of three‐dimensional stress and strain is proposed. Elastic‐plastic finite element method (FEM) and a proposed vector computing method are used to describe the loading state at the critical point of specimen, by which the parameter Γ_T is calculated at the new defined subcritical plane to consider the effect of additional cyclic hardening. Meanwhile, the principal equivalent strain is still calculated at the traditional critical plane. The new damage parameter is composed of different process parameters, by which the dynamic path of strain state, including loading environments and material properties, are fully considered in one loading cycle. According to experimental verifications with 2A12 aluminium alloy, the results show that the proposed method shows satisfactory, accurate, and reliable results for multiaxial fatigue life prediction in the state of three‐dimensional stress and strain.     

Modelling of creep damage in high temperature component life assessment

Abstract

Creep damage gradually proceeds in high temperature components in thermal power plants featuring creep void nucleation and growth. Accurate prediction of the creep damage is necessary for reliable operation and life extension of these components. Microstructural changes of a 1%CrMoV steel and a longitudinal welded tube of 9%Cr steel during creep were observed with creep test interrupted specimens by means of SEM. It was suggested that void growth is controlled mainly by a diffusion mechanism affected by matrix creep deformation and constraint of surrounding grains. Based on microstructural observation and theoretical considerations, a void initiation and growth model was proposed, and a void simulation program incorporating the void initiation and growth model was developed. It was demonstrated that void initiation and growth behaviour in homogenous materials as well as in heat affected zone in a welded tube was quantitatively predicted by the void simulation program. This suggests that local damage evolution in components may be predicted by the proposed method.     

Low and high‐cycle fatigue properties of an ultrahigh‐strength TRIP bainitic steel

The scope of this study is to characterize the mechanical properties of a novel Transformation‐Induced Plasticity bainitic steel grade TBC700Y980T. For this purpose, tensile tests are carried out with loading direction 0, 45 and 90° with respect to the L rolling direction. Yield stress is found to be higher than 700 MPa, ultimate tensile strength larger than 1050 MPa and total elongation higher than 15%. Low‐cycle fatigue (LCF) tests are carried out under fully reverse axial strain exploring fatigue lives comprised between 10² and 10⁵ fatigue cycles. The data are used to determine the parameters of the Coffin–Manson as well as the cyclic stress–strain curve. No significant stress‐induced austenite transformation is detected. The high‐cycle fatigue (HCF) behaviour is investigated through load controlled axial tests exploring fatigue tests up to 5 × 10⁶ fatigue cycles at two loading ratios, namely R = ?1 and R = 0. At fatigue lives longer than 2 × 10⁵ cycles, the strain life curve determined from LCF tests tends to greatly underestimate the HCF resistance of the material. Apparently, the HCF behaviour of this material cannot be extrapolated from LCF tests, as different damage, cyclic hardening mechanisms and microstructural conditions are involved. In particular, in the HCF regime, the predominant damage mechanism is nucleation of fatigue cracks in the vicinity of oxide inclusions, whereby mean value and scatter in fatigue limit are directly correlated to the dimension of these inclusions.     

Time‐dependent multiaxial fatigue and life prediction for nickel‐based GH4169 alloy

The fatigue behaviour of nickel‐based GH4169 alloy was studied under multiaxial loading at 650 °C. During the middle and late stages of the fatigue life at 650 °C, the axial and shear maximum stresses continue to decrease and plastic strains continue to increase, while at 360 °C different phenomena are observed. The intergranular cracks and certain quantities oxygen were observed in the fracture surfaces. The damage of creep and oxidation are related to temperature and strain range. The life prediction results with a time‐dependent fatigue damage model show the time‐related factors have a certain influence on the fatigue damage.     

Multiaxial fatigue life prediction method based on path‐dependent cycle counting under tension/torsion random loading

A path‐dependent cycle counting method is proposed by applying the distance formula between two points on the tension‐shear equivalent strain plane for the identified half‐cycles first. The Shang–Wang multiaxial fatigue damage model for an identified half‐cycle and Miner's linear accumulation damage rule are used to calculate cumulative fatigue damage. Therefore, a multiaxial fatigue life prediction procedure is presented to predict conveniently fatigue life under a given tension and torsion random loading time history. The proposed method is evaluated by experimental data from tests on cylindrical thin‐walled tubes specimens of En15R steel subjected to combined tension/torsion random loading, and the prediction results of the proposed method are compared with those of the Wang–Brown method. The results showed that both methods provided satisfactory prediction.