The influence of the coating technique on the high cycle fatigue life of alumina coated Al 6061 alloy

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of coating technique on the high cycle fatigue of an Al6061 alloy. Towards this purpose, Al6061 alloy fatigue samples have been coated with Al₂O₃ utilising the detonation spray, air plasma spray, micro arc oxidation and hard anodizing techniques. The high cycle fatigue life of these coated samples has been evaluated over a range of alternating stress values and compared with the fatigue life of the uncoated Al6061 alloy. It is observed that the detonation spray coated sample exhibits a higher fatigue life than the uncoated sample. In contrast, the samples coated using the other techniques exhibit poorer fatigue life compared to the uncoated sample especially at lower alternating stress values. These results have been explained on the basis of the nature of the coating-substrate interface which is strongly determined by the coating technique used to deposit the Al₂O₃ coatings.     

Finite element prediction of high cycle fatigue life of aluminum alloys

A new method is described for calculating the long fatigue life (>10⁵ cycles) portion of the stress-life (S-N) fatigue curve for precipitation-hardened aluminum alloys. It is based upon a finite element model of the deformation of a persistent slipband (PSB), and the only material parameter required is the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the alloy. The stress dependence of the plastic strain at the tip of a PSB is shown to be very pronounced and to closely match that of anS-N fatigue curve. Very good agreement is obtained for 6061-T6, 2014-T6, 2024-T4, and 7075-T6 aluminum, and the fatigue strength (at 10⁸ cycles) is calculated to be 26 pct of the tensile strength of each alloy, in agreement with experimental data. By contrast, the plastic strain at a crack tip has a much weaker stress dependence. Thus, these calculations also confirm that the elongation of a PSB, and not crack growth, is the rate-controlling process in high cycle fatigue.     

Finite element prediction of high cycle fatigue life of aluminum alloys

A new method is described for calculating the long fatigue life (>10⁵ cycles) portion of the stress-life (S-N) fatigue curve for precipitation-hardened aluminum alloys. It is based upon a finite element model of the deformation of a persistent slipband (PSB), and the only material parameter required is the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the alloy. The stress dependence of the plastic strain at the tip of a PSB is shown to be very pronounced and to closely match that of anS-N fatigue curve. Very good agreement is obtained for 6061-T6, 2014-T6, 2024-T4, and 7075-T6 aluminum, and the fatigue strength (at 10⁸ cycles) is calculated to be 26 pct of the tensile strength of each alloy, in agreement with experimental data. By contrast, the plastic strain at a crack tip has a much weaker stress dependence. Thus, these calculations also confirm that the elongation of a PSB, and not crack growth, is the rate-controlling process in high cycle fatigue.     

On the Distinction Between Plasticity- and Roughness-Induced Fatigue Crack Closure

A series of experiments has been carried out to determine why some alloys display plasticity-induced fatigue crack closure (PIFCC), whereas other alloys display roughness-induced crack closure (RIFCC). Two alloys were studied, the aluminum alloy 6061-T6 (PIFCC) and a steel of comparable yield strength, S25C (RIFCC). The experiments included the determination of the crack-opening levels as a function of ??K, da/dN as a function of ??K _eff ?C ??K _effth, removal of the specimen surface layers, removal of the crack wake, the determination of crack front shapes, crack surface roughness profiles, and the degree of lateral contraction in the plastic zone at a crack tip. Based on crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) considerations, it is concluded that PIFCC is favored in alloys of low modulus and relatively low yield strength. In addition, a low strain-hardening rate such as for the 6061 alloy will favor PIFCC. Steels with a higher modulus and a higher strain-hardening rate than 6061 will, in general, exhibit RIFCC, even at comparable yield strength levels. In ferritic steels, the fracture surface roughness and consequently the crack-opening level will increase as the coarseness of the microstructure increases.     

Relative performance of alumina coatings prepared by micro arc oxidation and detonation gun spray on AA 6063 under plain fatigue and fretting fatigue loading

The present study compares the performance of alumina coatings prepared by two different methods (micro arc oxidation (MAO) and detonation gun (D-gun) spray) on AA 6063 (Al alloy) fatigue test samples under plain fatigue and fretting fatigue loading. While MAO coating had comparable proportions of γ-Al₂O₃ and α-Al₂O₃, D-gun sprayed coating contained γ-Al₂O₃ with minimal quantities of α-Al₂O₃. MAO coating was relatively harder than D-gun sprayed coating. As both types of coated samples were ground, they exhibited almost the same surface roughness. D-gun sprayed alumina coated samples exhibited slightly higher magnitude of surface residual compressive stress compared with MAO coated specimens. Both types of coated samples experienced almost the same friction force. D-gun spray coated samples exhibited superior plain fatigue and fretting fatigue lives compared with MAO coated specimens. This may be attributed to layered structure of the D-gun sprayed coating.     

Ultrasonic Fatigue Endurance of Aluminum Alloy AISI 6061-T6 on Pre-corroded and Non-corroded Specimens

Ultrasonic fatigue tests are carried out on aluminum alloy 6061-T6 in order to analyze the fatigue endurance behavior under artificial pre-corrosion attack by hydrochloric acid for the pH concentrations of 0.47 and 0.80. The pre-corrosion attack is used to simulate the long-time environmental effect and the corresponding decay of fatigue life in regard to non-corroded specimens. Experimental results show that ultrasonic fatigue endurance under these two degrees of pre-corrosion attack decreases dramatically. Furthermore, it is observed that crack initiation is frequently associated with one or several pre-corrosion pitting holes at the specimen surface. Pitting holes are assumed to be semi-hemispherical and the stress concentration factors are evaluated taking into account the size and proximity of two crack initiation pitting holes. The crack growth rates are obtained for the pre-corroded specimens and compared to the non-corroded specimen. Finally, conclusions are listed concerning ultrasonic fatigue endurance of testing specimens, together with the fracture surfaces, crack paths, and crack growth rates.     

The influence of overlay coatings on high cycle fatigue of an advanced tantalum carbide strengthened eutectic composite

High cycle fatigue of coated and uncoated NiTaC 3-116A2, a directionally solidified tantalum carbide strengthened eutectic, has been examined over a range of temperatures. In the uncoated condition, the fatigue strength of the alloy increased with temperature from room temperature to 600 °C, but was slightly lower at 900 °C than at 600 °C, which is consistent with the variation in 0.2 pct yield strength with temperature. At room temperature and 600 °C, the influence of several plasma sprayed coatings in reducing the fatigue life was found to be sensitive to the coating composition and alternating stress level. A Ni-20Cr coating resisted fatigue damage on the basis of its ductility and therefore performed better at high cyclic stress levels than at low cyclic stress levels. By contrast, Ni-20Cr-10Al-2Hf-0.1C. and Ni-20Co-20Cr-10Al-2Hf-0.1C coatings were stronger and so exhibited high fatigue strengths at long lives but, because of their limited ductility, cracked readily when tested at high stress levels. At 900 °C the coatings had little effect on fatigue life. On the basis of the present results and the metallographic observations of early crack growth through the coatings, it is concluded that the selection of a mechanically compatible coating requires a knowledge of the fatigue cycle. To ensure a minimum effect on fatigue lives for the anticipated stress cycle, it is necessary to match the coating and substrate mechanical properties as closely as possible. Formerly with Corporate Research and Development     

镁锂合金表面含碳陶瓷层的摩擦性能

通过在Na₂SiO₃-KOH基础电解液中加入石墨烯添加剂,在镁锂合金表面制备出一层自润滑的含碳陶瓷层. 利用扫描电镜、原子力显微镜以及X射线衍射仪分析了陶瓷层的表面形貌、粗糙度以及物相组成,利用摩擦磨损试验仪对陶瓷层在室温下的摩擦学性能进行研究. 其结果表明,加入石墨烯后制备出的含碳陶瓷层表面放电微孔分布均匀,且其微孔尺寸和表面粗糙度均明显降低. 相比于镁锂合金,陶瓷层的表面硬度也得到明显的提高. 此外,含碳陶瓷层主要由SiO₂、Mg₂SiO₄以及MgO物相组成,而石墨烯则以机械形式弥散分布于陶瓷层中并起到减摩作用. 当石墨烯体积分数为1%时,陶瓷层表面显微硬度为1317.6 HV_{0.1 kg},其摩擦系数仅为0.09,其耐磨性明显提高. 同时,陶瓷层磨痕的深度和宽度均明显小于镁锂合金,而且较为光滑,表明陶瓷层表面没有发生严重的黏着磨损.      

Effect of Proximity and Dimension of Two Artificial Pitting Holes on the Fatigue Endurance of Aluminum Alloy AISI 6061-T6 Under Rotating Bending Fatigue Tests

This work deals with the study of the two artificial pitting holes effects, caused by their dimensions and proximity, on the fatigue endurance of aluminum alloy AISI 6061-T6 under rotating bending fatigue tests. Stress concentration induced by artificial pitting holes is analyzed and correlated with the experimental fatigue life. It is found that the stress concentration increases exponentially when the two pitting holes approach, and this induces an important reduction in the fatigue life. Concerning the diameter variation of one pitting in regard to the second, no important influence was observed on fatigue life for a given separation between them; this implies that the separation between the two artificial pitting holes and the associated stress concentration is the principal parameter on the fatigue life under these conditions. Finally, results are discussed and conclusions are presented involving the fatigue life, proximity, and dimension of pitting holes, stress concentration factor, and fracture surfaces where the failure origin is identified.     

Fatigue behavior of A356-T6 aluminum cast alloys. Part I. Effect of casting defects

The influence of casting defects on the room temperature fatigue performance of a Sr-modified A356-T6 casting alloy has been studied using un-notched polished cylindrical specimens. The numbers of cycles to failure of materials with various secondary arm spacings (SDAS) were investigated as a function of stress amplitude, stress ratio, and casting defect size. To produce pore-free samples, HIP-ed and Densal™ treatments were applied prior to the T6 heat treatment. It was observed that casting defects have a detrimental effect on fatigue life by shortening not only the crack propagation period, but also the initiation period. Castings with defects show at least an order of magnitude lower fatigue life compared to defect-free ones. The decrease in fatigue life is directly correlated to the increase of defect size. HIP-ed alloys show much longer fatigue lives compared to non-HIP-ed ones. There seems to exist a critical defect size for fatigue crack initiation, below which fatigue crack initiates from other competing initiators such as eutectic particles and slip bands. A fracture mechanics approach has been used to determine the number of cycles necessary to propagate a fatigue crack from a casting defect to final failure. Fatigue life of castings containing defects can be quantitatively predicted using the size of the defects. Moreover, the fatigue fracture behavior of aluminum castings is well described by Weibull statistics. Crack originating from different defects (such as porosity and oxide films) can be readily identified from the Weibull modulus and the characteristic fatigue life. Compared with oxide films, porosity is more detrimental to fatigue life.     

激光熔覆IMC涂层的热疲劳性能

研究了激光熔覆和Ｎｉ－Ａｌ合金涂层及（Ｎｉ－Ａｌ）＋ＷＣ复合涂层的热疲劳性能。结果表明，涂层疲劳损伤形式为沿晶应力（氧化）腐蚀。腐蚀产物为Ａｌ２Ｏ３。每次热循环后，熔覆层中的最终残余应力是残余热应力和相变应力共同作用的结果。由于复合涂层中的残余应力为压应力，而合金涂层中的残余应力为拉应力，因此前热疲劳性能优于后者。     

Fracture behavior of thixoformed 357-T5 Al alloys

The effects of microstructural features on the fracture behaviors, including impact, high-cycle fatigue, fatigue crack propagation, and stress corrosion cracking, of thixoformed 357-T5 (Al-7 pct Si-0.6 pct Mg) alloy were examined. The resistance to impact and high-cycle fatigue of thixoformed 357-T5 tended to improve greatly with increasing volume fraction of primary α. An almost threefold increase in impact energy value was, for example, o served with increasing volume fraction of primary α from 59 to 70 pct. The improvement in both impact and fatigue properties of thixoformed 357-T5 with increasing volume fraction of primary α in the present study appears to be related to the magnitude of stress concentration at the interface between primary α and eutectic phase, by which the fracture process is largely influenced. The higher volume fraction of primary α was also beneficial for improving the resistance to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in 3.5 pct NaCl solution. The in-situ slow strain rate test results of thix oformed 357-T5 in air and 3.5 pct NaCl solution at various applied potential values demonstrated that the percent change in tesile elongation with exposure decreased linearly with increasing volume fraction of primary α within the range studied in the present study. Based on the fractographic and micrographic observations, the mechanism associated with the beneficial effect of high volume fraction of primary α in thixoformed 375-T5 alloy was discussed.     

Chemical and metallurgical aspects of environmentally assisted fatigue crack growth in 7075-T651 aluminum alloy

A comprehensive study has been carried out on a 7075-T651 alloy to examine the influence of water vapor on fatigue crack growth. The kinetics of fatigue crack growth were determined as a function of water vapor pressure at room temperature and at 353 K. Detailed fractographic analyses and surface chemistry studies were carried out to identify the micromechanisms and to quantify the chemical interactions for corrosion fatigue crack growth in this alloy. Experiments were also carried out in ultra-high vacuum and in oxygen to provide for comparisons. Two regions of fatigue crack growth response were identified. In the low pressure region (below 67 Pa at 5 Hz), crack growth is controlled by the rate of transport of water vapor to the crack tip, and the response can be described by a model for transport controlled crack growth. At pressures above 67 Pa, additional increases in crack growth rate occurred, which are attributed to the further reactions of water vapor with segregated magnesium in this alloy. Different micromechanisms for crack growth have been identified for vacuum, oxygen, and water vapor. These micromechanisms are considered in relation to the environmental parameters through a modified superposition model for corrosion fatigue.     

Microstructure and fatigue properties of hydroformed aluminum alloys 6063 and 5754

This study investigated the microstructure and fatigue properties of hydroformed sections of the 5754 and 6063 aluminum alloys. The second-phase particles in 6063-T7 are identified as a mixture of Al₁₂Fe₃Si and Al₉Fe₂Si₂, with a slightly higher fraction of the former. The constituent particles in the 5754 alloy are Al₄Mn-type hexagonal compounds, where Mn is partially substituted by various other elements, resulting in Al₄(Fe,Mn,Si,Cr). The results show that despite its lower yield strength, the hydroformed 5754 alloy has higher ultimate tensile strength, ductility, and, more importantly, higher fatigue resistance than the 6063 material. Both crystallographic stage I and noncrystallographic stage II cracking are found in the 6063-T7 samples, but only stage II cracking is observed in the 5754 alloy. This implies that the low fatigue strength of 6063-T7 is related to its relatively large grain size, resulting in rapid stage I crack propagation. The higher fatigue lives of the 5754 alloy compared to the 6063 alloy in both the low- and high-cycle life regimes are due to the increased fatigue-crack-initiation and propagation resistance of the 5754 alloy and its probable cyclic strain-hardening behavior.     

The nature of the two opening levels following an overload in fatigue crack growth

During the period of retarded fatigue crack growth following a single tensile overload, two crack opening levels are observed. Different interpretations have been put forth concerning the nature of these opening events. In one proposal, the two opening events are considered to occur in plane strain, first behind the crack tip and then at the crack tip. In another proposal, the first opening event occurs in the plane strain portion of the crack front and the second in the plane stress portion of the crack front. In this paper, critical experiments designed to clarify this issue are described. In most of the experiments, the aluminum alloy 6061-T6 was used. Additional tests were made using the aluminum alloy 7090-T6 and the titanium alloy IMI 829. The results of these experiments show that over the entire range of ΔK, including the near-threshold range, the two opening events are associated with a plane strain followed by a plane stress opening process. The results are important in that they not only shed light on the mechanism of crack retardation following an overload, but they also provide a basis for the development of a rational method of analysis for the calculation of the number of delay cycles following an overload which includes the effects of thickness and ΔK level. Based upon the findings of this study, a semiempirical method for the determination of the number of delay cycles following an overload is presented. The number of delay cycles predicted by this method is found to be in good agreement with the results of the present investigation as well as with other results from the literature.     

Failure mechanisms in SiC-fiber reinforced 6061 aluminum alloy composites under monotonic and cyclic loading

Micromechanisms influencing crack propagation in a unidirectional SiC-fiber (SCS-8) continuously reinforced Al-Mg-Si 6061 alloy metal-matrix composite (SiC_f/Al-6061) during monotonie and cyclic loading are examined at room temperature, both for the longitudinal (0 deg or L-T) and transverse (90 deg or T-L) orientations. It is found that the composite is insensitive to the presence of notches in the L-T orientation under pure tension loading due to the weak fiber/matrix interface; notched failure strengths are ∼1500 MPa compared to 124 MPa for unreinforced 6061. However, behavior is strongly dependent on loading configuration, specimen geometry, and orientation. Specifically, properties in SiC_f/Al in the T-L orientation are inferior to unreinforced 6061, although the composite does exhibit increasing crack-growth resistance with crack extension (resistance-curve behavior) under monotonie loading; peak toughnesses of ∼16 MPa√m are achieved due to crack bridging by the continuous metal phase between fibers and residual plastic deformation in the crack wake. In contrast, such bridging is minimal under cyclic loading, as the ductile phase fails subcritically by fatigue such that the transverse fatigue crack-growth resistance is superior in the unreinforced alloy, particularly at high stress-intensity levels. Conversely, fatigue cracks are bridged by unbroken SiC fibers in the L-T orientation and exhibit marked crack deflection and branching; the fatigue crack-growth resistance in this orientation is clearly superior in the composite.     

Microarc oxidation of light constructional alloys: Part 2. Influence of the current waveform on the growth kinetics of microarc coatings on the surface of light construction alloys in alkali (pH ≤ 12.5) electrolytes

Based on the experimental data, the mechanism of the influence of the cathodic component of the ac current on the growth kinetics and the limiting thickness of the microarc coatings formed on the surface of aluminum and magnesium alloys is suggested. It is shown that, during microarc oxidation (MAO), the cathode component of the ac current either increases (in the case of the Al alloy) or decreases (in the case of the Mg alloy) the number of effective microcharge discharges due to an increase in the electrolyte pH in the through pores of the coating and the elevation of the temperature of the MAO process.     

温度与应力比对6061铝合金疲劳裂纹扩展行为的影响

为了研究温度与应力比对航空铝合金疲劳裂纹扩展行为的影响,利用电液伺服疲劳试验机对6061铝合金材料开展了不同温度(室温、-70、150 ℃)、应力比(0.1、0.5)条件下的疲劳裂纹扩展速率试验,获得不同条件下的疲劳裂纹扩展速率曲线,揭示温度与应力比对疲劳裂纹扩展的影响规律。结果表明,在相同应力比下,室温与高温150 ℃下的疲劳裂纹扩展速率曲线(da/dN-ΔK)基本一致,低温-70 ℃下的疲劳门槛值与疲劳裂纹扩展速率明显提高,这表明低温环境下6061铝合金材料具有较高的抗疲劳裂纹扩展性能;在相同温度下,随着应力比的增大,疲劳门槛值降低,疲劳裂纹扩展速率升高。讨论了温度与应力比对疲劳裂纹扩展行为影响的可能原因。     

Demonstration of an endurance limit in cast 319 aluminum

An investigation of the fatigue properties of cast W319-T7, an Al-Si-Cu alloy used in automotive engine components, was conducted using ultrasonic testing equipment with operating frequencies of 20 kHz. The stress-life (S-N) behavior at room temperature was determined for three solidification conditions of this alloy, where stresses for fatigue lives ranging from 10⁵ to 10⁹ cycles were determined. The results are compared to fatigue data acquired using servohydraulic equipment operating at 40 Hz. No influence of loading frequency has been observed. A discrete endurance limit is indicated for each of the three solidification conditions of W319-T7. The scientific and practical implications of this result are discussed. A material model presented previously is modified by introducing a crack growth threshold condition in order to predict the observed endurance limits. The model is shown to effectively predict the influence of solidification time on the fatigue properties of W319-T7.