The effect of bridging on fatigue crack growth behavior in Aramid Patched Aluminum Alloy(APAL)

A new hybrid composite (APAL: Aramid Patched Aluminum Alloy), consisting of a 2024-T3 aluminum alloy plate sandwiched between two aramid/epoxy laminate (HK 285/RS 1222), was developed. Fatigue crack growth behavior was examined at stress ratios of R=0.2, 0.5 using the aluminum alloy and two kinds of the APAL with different fiber orientation (0°/90° and 45° for crack direction). The APAL showed superior fatigue crack growth resistance, which may be attributed to the crack bridging effect imposed by the intact fibers in the crack wake. The magnitude of crack bridging was estimated quantitatively and determined by a new technique on basis of compliances of the 2024-T3 aluminum alloy and the APAL specimens. The crack growth rates of the APAL specimens were reduced significantly as comparison to the monolithic aluminum alloy and were not adequately correlated with the conventional stress intensity factor range(ΔK). It was found that the crack growth rate was successfully correlated with the effective stress intensity factor range (ΔK _eff =K _br -K _ct ) allowing for the crack closure and the crack bridging. The relation between da/dN and theΔK _eff was plotted within a narrow scatter band regardless of kind of stress ratio (R=0.2, 0.5) and material (2024-T3 aluminum alloy, APAL 0°/90° and APAL±45°). The result equation was as follow:da/dN=6.45×10⁻⁷(ΔK _eff )^2.4.     

A comparative evaluation of K<Subscript>op</Subscript> determination and ΔK<Subscript>eff</Subscript> estimation methods

Methods for determination of the crack opening stress intensity factor (K_op) and for estimation of the effective stress intensity factor range (ΔK_eff) are evaluated for crack growth test data of aluminum alloys. Three methods of determining K_op, visual measurement, ASTM offset compliance method, and the neural network method proposed by Kang and Song, and three methods of estimating ΔK_eff, conventional, the 2/P10 and 2/PI methods proposed by Donald and Paris, are compared in a quantitative manner by using evaluation criteria. For all K_op determination methods discussed, the 2/PI method of estimating ΔK_eff provides good results. The neural network method of determining K_op provides good correlation of crack growth data. It is recommended to use 2/PI estimation with the neural K_op determination method. The ASTM offset method used in conjunction with 2/PI estimation shows a possibility of successful application. It is desired to improve the ASTM method.     

蠕墨铸铁疲劳特性的研究

对在四种热处理方法下的蠕墨铸铁试样进行门槛值和裂纹扩展速率的测试,并对其进行分析和比较.其结果表明,不同的基体组织对蠕墨铸铁的门槛值和低速区的裂纹扩展速率有比较明显的影响,门槛值随相对韧度增大而增大.不同的石墨形态对门槛值的变化影响不大,且仍然可以维持在较高的水平.不同载荷比下的低速区裂纹扩展速率区别较大,但随着平均载荷的升高,载荷比的影响有减小的趋势,中速区载荷比的影响较小.文中给出不同载荷比下的蠕墨铸铁门槛值和裂纹扩展速率经验公式.     

The role of casting porosity in fatigue properties of Al−Si 319 lost foam cast alloy

The tensile, fracture toughness and fatigue properties of Al−Si 319 lost-foam-cast alloy were determined at room temperature. The fatigue properties of this alloy were also determined at 150°C. Fatigue cracks were always initiated at the largest casting pore. Initial pore sizes were measured using a scanning electron microscope. Surface replication showed that majority of the fatigue life was spent in fatigue crack propagation and permitted the estimation of the constants in the Paris power law and the threshold stress intensity factor (ΔK _th ). The role of internal casting porosity was quantified using a linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) model for fatigue crack growth. The predicted lives agreed with the measured values within a factor of two.     

Corrosion fatigue characteristics in the weld of multi-pass welded A106 Gr B steel pipe

In order to investigate the corrosion fatigue characteristics in the weld of multi-pass welded A106 Gr B steel pipe, corrosion fatigue tests were performed under the various stress ratios and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution at room temperature. The corrosion fatigue characteristic curves were represented using crack closure concept. The obtained results are as follows ; when the load frequency is 1.0 Hz, the crack opening point is transited in the region of K_max=20-32 MPa-msu1/2. In the low stress intensity factor range, the crack opening point is higher than that in air. However, in the high stress intensity factor range, it is lower than that in air. In the cases of 0.1 Hz and 0.01 Hz, the crack opening point gradually decreases to K(min) with K_max increase.     

The effects of artificial asperities on crack closing behavior in quenched and tempered medium carbon steel

To better understand the effect of an asperity on crack closure behavior, K-CMOD relations were examined using artificial asperity/wedge, inserted into the fatigue crack in a three point bending specimen made of a hardened medium carbon steel. Experimental results revealed that the unloading phase of the K vs. CMOD curve exhibited a concave shape if soft artificial asperity (Al alloy) was inserted, signifying acceleration in the CMOD decrease at zero applied load. This was mainly related to elastic and plastic deformation in the wedge material during the unloading process. On the contrary, the linear unloading portion of K vs. CMOD was obtained as hard asperity (high carbon steel) was employed, which specified deceleration in the CMOD decrease at zero applied load, where the only elastic deformation in the asperity was affected. From their unloading curves, the severity of crack closure or ??K _eff value was found to be related to the strength of the asperity material. The values of ??K _eff were examined in two different ways, e.g., (i) the remote displacement method and (ii) the adjusted compliance ratio method (ACR). The ??K _eff value, measured using both approaches, decreases with increasing wedge strength, such as hardness and yield strength. The rate of reduction in ??K _eff was, however, changed depending on the manner of ??K _eff examination, in which the ??K _eff decreased at a higher rate for the compliance ratio method and at a lower rate for the remote displacement method. The reason for this is discussed in the present work.     

The components of energy release rate for interfacial cracks

Interfacial crack growth is inherently mixed mode in nature and mode-mixity must be defined clearly in order to characterize it. Mode   and mode   strain energy release rates for an interfacial crack in bimaterial system were analytically derived by the virtual crack closure technique. It is shown that the energy release rate for mode   and mode   do not converge due to the presence of violent oscillatory near tip behavior. However, the total energy release rate is well-defined.     

Failure analysis of turbine blade in atomic power plant

The turbine blade in an atomic power plant may be fractured by fatigue, stress corrosion cracking and bad fitting. Especially, fatigue fracture is caused by low stress amplitude below the yielding stress. SEM fractography does not have striation, but AFM fractography does on the fatigue fractured surface of 12% Cr steel used for the turbine blade. Surface roughness R _q measured by AFM is linearly related to the stress intensity factor range, ΔK, and is increased linearly according to the load range ΔP. Therefore, in this study, the loading condition applied to a turbine blade is predicted by the relation between the intersection of the ΔK-R _q relation and load range ΔP.     

Effect of specimen thickness on the statistical properties of fatigue crack growth resistance in BS4360 steel

In this paper the effect of specimen thickness on fatigue crack growth with the spatial distribution of material properties is presented. Basically, the material resistance to fatigue crack growth is treated as a spatial stochastic process, which varies randomly on the crack surface. The theoretical autocorrelation functions of fatigue crack growth resistance with specimen thickness are discussed for several correlation lengths. Constant ΔK fatigue crack growth tests were also performed on CT type specimens with three different thicknesses of BS 4360 steel. Applying the proposed stochastic model and statistical analysis procedure, the experimental data were analyzed for different specimen thicknesses for determining the autocorrelation functions and probability distributions of the fatigue crack growth resistance.     

The crack growth behavior of Incoloy 800H under fatigue and dwell-fatigue conditions at elevated temperature

Fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) tests with different load ratios and dwell-fatigue crack growth rate (DFCGR) tests with different dwell times were conducted at 750°C for Incoloy 800H. As the load ratio increases from 0.1 to 0.5, the crack growth rate increased and the transition ??K value from region I to region II (Paris regime) shifted leftward. In DFCGR tests with dwell time of 10 and 30 seconds, the Paris regime started at relatively lower ??K level and the crack grew much faster than in FCGR tests. However, the crack growth rates between the 10 sec and 30 sec dwell times were relatively similar. The higher crack growth rates in the DFCGR tests compared to FCGR tests was associated with the reduction of the M₂₃C₆ precipitates in the vicinity of the advancing crack by the Cr depletion, suggesting the crack propagation in DFCGR conditions was environmentally assisted. The crack growth rate was controlled by trans-granular mode regardless of the dwell time because the dwell time was not enough to cause creep damage.     

Effects of temperature and oxidation on threshold stress intensity factor of 12% Cr steel for steam turbine rotor component

Threshold stress intensity factor (ΔK _th ), one of the important parameters in plant design, is the value below which fatigue crack growth becomes unrecognizably slow. Although studies on the each effect of various factors such as temperature, frequency, stress ratio, oxidation and grain size on the ΔK _th have been reported widely, only few research works were reported on the complex effect of the plural factors acting simultaneously. In this study, the analysis of the complex effect of temperature and oxidation on ΔK _th of 12Cr steel, the turbine rotor material of the USC (ultra super critical) power plant, has been carried out. Two types of fatigue tests were performed in the air and in the nitrogen gas conditions. Experimental results showed that ΔK _th value increases with temperature increase and formation of oxidation scale. However it was observed that the magnitude of each effect is reduced when two factors are introduced simultaneously.     

Fatigue crack growth behavior of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel at elevated temperatures: Effect of temperature,loading frequency and R ratio

The fatigue crack growth behavior of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel was investigated as a function of temperature, loading frequency and R ratios in the Paris regime. The relationship between fatigue crack growth rate and stress intensity factor range was acquired for each test condition. The results revealed that crack growth rate was accelerated with increasing temperature and decreasing loading frequency. The influence of the R ratio on crack growth rate was only pronounced at the low loading frequency condition. In order to understand the crack growth mechanism, activation energy analysis and normalized ΔK analysis were performed. This study suggests that oxidation and the degradation of mechanical properties promote crack growth behavior.     

Fatigue crack propagation behavior in STS304 under mixed-mode loading

The use of fracture mechanics has traditionally concentrated on crack growth under an opening mechanism. However, many service failures occur from cracks subjected to mixed-mode loading. Hence, it is necessary to evaluate the fatigue behavior under mixed-mode loading. Under mixed-mode loading, not only the fatigue crack propagation rate is of importance, but also the crack propagation direction. In modified range 0.3≤a/W≤0.5, the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of mode I and mode II for the compact tension shear (CTS) specimen were calculated by using elastic finite element analysis. The propagation behavior of the fatigue cracks of cold rolled stainless steels (STS304) under mixed-mode conditions was evaluated by using K_I and K_II(SIFs of mode I and mode II). The maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion and stress intensity factor were applied to predict the crack propagation direction and the propagation behavior of fatigue cracks.     

A study on tensile and fatigue properties of aged NAS 254N stainless steel at elevated temperatures

The effects of aging on tensile properties and fatigue crack growth behaviors of NAS 254N stainless steel was studied. Yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the aged specimens were almost the same as the as-received (as-rec.). The fracture strain, however, was decreased significantly by the aging, and the fracture surface of the aged at room temperature (RT) test was intergranular. As test temperature increased, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation decreased. And a type of serration was observed at 550-650°C As strain rate decreased, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength decreased, but elongation increased. It was observed that tensile strength and strain had a sudden change at one point. And this critical temperatureT _cr was 550°C. The effect of aging time on the tensile strength and strain was also investigated. Tensile strength and strain decreased significantly beyond 100hrs. Fatigue crack growth rate at RT was enhanced by the aging at high stress intensity factor range. This is due to the occurrence of the intergranular fracture in the aged specimen. At 650°C, the fatigue crack growth behavior was almost the same without intergranular fracture.     

Growth behavior of short surface fatigue cracks in 2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo steel

Fatigue tests by axial loading (R-0.05) were carried out to investigate short fatigue crack growth behavior in 2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo steel at room temperature using smooth and a small notched flat specimen. All the data of the fatigue crack growth rate in the present tests were analyzed as a function of the stress intensity factor equation in conjunction with crack closure behavior. Analysis was performed accounting for the relation of surface effective stress range,Ua and depth effective stress range,Ub. In the case of isotropic crack growth properties,Ub=(ΔK_ta/ΔK_tb) ·Ua. By use ofUb obtained from the analysis, crack growth rates to surface direction coincide with those of depth direction.     

基于新裂纹扩展驱动力参量的焊接接头疲劳裂纹扩展的研究

传统上疲劳裂纹扩展速率以一个参量——应力强度因子幅(PARIS模型)或有效应力强度因子幅(ELBER模型)来表达。PARIS模型不能统计应力比效应和变幅加载历史。ELBER裂纹闭合模型虽被广泛应用,但确定其开闭口载荷的测量方法很多,且测量结果均存在主观性。最近研究表明,疲劳裂纹扩展不仅依赖于应力强度因子幅,还与最大应力强度因子有关。并且KUJAWSKI提出了两参量模型,该模型避开了有争议的裂纹闭合效应。基于一个载荷循环中柔度变化与裂纹尖端开闭口与弹塑性行为的关系,提出一个新的具有物理意义的两参量驱动力模型。针对Q345钢焊接接头各区域进行两种应力比R=0.1和0.5的疲劳裂纹扩展试验。使用该模型针对Q345钢焊接接头各区域的疲劳裂纹扩展数据进行验证。结果表明,提出的新模型在预测应力比对裂纹扩展速率的影响时比上述三个模型更有效。     

Evolution of the temperature field during deformation and fracture of specimens of coarse-grained and ultrafine-grained titanium

Studies of the deformation and evolution of temperature fields in flat specimens of BT1-0 titanium in the Coarse-Grained (CG) and nanostructured/ultrafine-grained (NS/UFG) states and BT6 titanium alloy were performed. The yield and ultimate stresses for NS/UFG BT1-0 titanium are twice as high as those for the CG state and are comparable with the characteristics of the BT6 alloy. It was found that the ultimate strain before damage of NS/UFG titanium specimens that are tensioned at a constant deformation rate of 6.5 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ decreases by a factor of 2. In the region of a macroscopic localization of a plastic deformation the temperature abruptly rises and reaches the maximum values in the crack formation zone. An abrupt temperature increase in the zones of localization of plastic deformations and crack formation is observed in specimens with both the CG and NS/UFG states. Comparing the experimental data on the temperature distributions on the surfaces of strained CG and NS/UFG titanium specimens shows that a macroscopic plastic deformation develops more uniformly in BT1-0 titanium in the NS/UFG state. Under identical loading conditions, the heat release rate is higher for BT1-0 titanium in the NS/UFG state.     

Fracture strength evaluation of welded steel joint by means of small punch test

It has been well known that the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of each weld structure or its shift (ΔDBTT) from parent material is one of the very useful measures of the fracture characteristics in steel weldment. In order to present an applicability of small punch (SP) test technique to weldments, in this study, a fracture strength of microstructure at any localized region of interest on HAZ, weld metal and parent material in two steels was evaluated by using DBTT or ΔDBTT obtained from the SP test in relation to the data obtained from the COD test. The empirical correlation, (ΔDBTT) _SP ⋟0.55 (ΔDBTT) _COD , was obtained from the SP and COD test. In addition, the effects of test materials, that is the microstructures of welded region and the orientations of specimens etc, did not appear at the empirical correlation.     

Discrepancies of fatigue crack growth behaviour of API X65 steel

This paper discusses the fatigue life behaviour of the API X65 steel tested under constant amplitude loading in ambient temperature. The influence of repeated loading at a particular stress ratio would favour the initiation of fatigue cracks that would consequently affect the fatigue crack growth. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the load ratio effects on fatigue crack growth rate, taking into account their statistical characteristics. The fatigue crack growth test was carried out using compact-tension specimen at different load ratios of 0.1, 0.4 and 0.7. The experimental results showed the crack growth rate was dependent on the applied load. It was observed that the load ratio effect was less significant in stable crack growth regions. The result was consistent with the multiple regression test obtained by the least square method at a significance level of 0.05. The empirical model of Paris and Walker was utilised to evaluate the effects of load ratio on the fatigue crack growth rates. The approximation of fatigue life lies between 10-25 % of error using conservative model and 6 % error using the Walker model. The experimental data was scattered within a factor-of-2 correlation line suggesting that the accuracy of the experimental data towards the estimated values was high.     

Effect of single overload on fatigue behavior in the welded haz of low alloy steel

Room temperature fatigue crack growth behavior was obtained for 4140 parent steel, parent heat treated (same as PWHT), as-welded HAZ and PWHT HAZ material under R≈O constant amplitude loading and single tensile overloads with an over load ratio (OLR: P_over/P_max) of 2.5. Double pass automatic submerged arc welding with AWS EM2 electrode was used. PWHT was performed at 650°C for one hour. Constant amplitude fatigue crack growth behavior was very similar for all four material conditions in the log-log linear Paris region. All material conditions responded favorably to the single tensile overloads with fatigue crack growth retardation ranging from 2.5×10⁵ to 4.5×10⁵ cycles which corresponded to life increases of 250 to 400 percent. SEM analysis indicated many similarities on the fatigue fracture surfaces with predominant ductile quasi-striation morphology.