Investigations on fatigue crack growth under variable amplitude loading in wheelset axles

The present paper summarizes the results of fatigue crack growth simulations for hollow wheelset axles. Within the scope of this paper different influencing factors of the remaining lifetime have been identified. Therefore different simulations using NASGRO have been performed with different initial crack depth as well as aspect ratios. Moreover the influence of press fitting on the remaining lifetime has been pointed out. Preliminary experimental studies using standardized fracture mechanical specimens have been used in order to optimize time- and cost-consuming component testing.     

Evaluation of the use of envelope analysis and DWT on AE signals generated from degrading shafts

Vibration analysis is widely used in machinery diagnosis. Wavelet transforms and envelope analysis, which have been implemented in many applications in the condition monitoring of machinery, are applied in the development of a condition monitoring system for early detection of faults generated in several key components of machinery. Early fault detection is a very important factor in condition monitoring and a basic component for the application of condition-based maintenance (CBM) and predictive maintenance (PM). In addition, acoustic emission (AE) sensors have specific characteristics that are highly sensitive to high-frequency and low-energy signals. Therefore, the AE technique has been applied recently in studies on the early detection of failure. In this paper, AE signals caused by crack growth on a rotating shaft were captured through an AE sensor. The AE signatures were pre-processed using the proposed signal processing method, after which power spectrums were generated from the FFT results. In the power spectrum, some peaks from fault frequencies were presented. According to the results, crack growth in rotating machinery can be considered and detected using an AE sensor and the signal processing method.     

An experimental approach to determining the residual lifetimes of wheelset axles on a full-scale wheel-rail roller test rig

The paper describes an experimental method for determining the residual lifetime of wheelset axles which was developed and proved. The procedure includes all necessary steps: crack initiation from an artificially generated surface defect, monitoring of crack growth, and specification of the end-of-test criterion. The crack propagation tests described in this paper were carried out on a complete wheelset that was installed on a full-scale wheel-rail roller test rig using a measured load spectrum. During both the test planning and test implementation phases, considerable attention was paid to the complex processes involved in crack propagation in wheelset axles. In addition to axle material and design issues, important factors that have to be taken into account include sequence effects, the reliability of load cycle omission strategies to reduce the overall duration of testing, static stresses introduced by press-fitting procedures and residual stresses caused by manufacturing processes, and crack closure effects. The results obtained indicate that the method produces reliable results that are of practical relevance. Examples were also presented that indicated how far experimentally determined residual axle lifetimes could still differ from lifetimes calculated using current fracture mechanics modelling techniques.     

Parameters affecting the damage tolerance behaviour of railway axles

The paper provides a discussion on damage tolerance options applied to railway axles and factors influencing the residual lifetime as well as the required inspection interval. These comprise material properties such as the scatter of the da/dN–ΔK curve, the fatigue crack propagation threshold ΔK_th and the toughness of the material. Parameters affecting axle loading such as the press fit, rotating bending, load history and mixed crack opening modes are discussed. Finally the influence of the initial crack geometry on residual lifetime is simulated.     

A compact thermosonic inspection system for the inspection of composites

A portable thermosonic inspection system has been developed incorporating a miniature microbolometer array camera. The vibrations excited during a test are monitored using a high frequency microphone and assessed automatically to validate the test. An investigation of the correlation between thermosonic heating and vibration excitation energy in composites is presented. The system has been trialled on aerospace components containing impact damage.     

Application of non-destructive and fracture mechanics techniques for the condition assessment of naphtha hydrotreater furnace tubes in oil refinery

Furnace tubes of oil refineries undergo thermal, mechanical and environmental loadings during the lifetime of the plant. Apart from highly corrosive conditions, components are also under severe temperatures and pressures which lead to the material degradation and ultimately causing failure. Due to these loadings, the tubes have a finite life and it is important to monitor the condition of the tubes during inspection to avoid any rupture during the service.The aim of the present work is to evaluate the condition of the naphtha hydrotreater furnace tubes of an oil refinery. These tubes were manufactured of SA 312 P321 material and remained in service for about twenty-five years. Two different techniques were applied for the condition assessment of used and fresh tubes – non-destructive (ND) examination and fracture mechanics based fractographic evaluation. Based on the ND testing, significant deterioration of material was noted in the used specimens. Similarly, besides micro-structural defects, the used material also exhibited sufficient loss of hardness. On the other hand, mechanical properties obtained from standard tension, impact and bend tests also exhibited the poor condition of the tubes. A comparison of the used specimens with the un-used one shows that the condition of the furnace tubes has been considerably deteriorated and its further use for the long term service cannot be considered as satisfactory.     

Review of the fatigue damage tolerance of high-speed railway axles in Japan

Railway axles are one of the most important components in railway systems since a fail-safe design is not available. In the present paper, the fatigue tolerance of the high-speed railway axle in Japan is reviewed. To maintain the safety, the fatigue strength of the axle has been extensively studied. Theses case histories and consequent improvements in manufacturing process are presented. The crack propagation behavior of the induction hardened axle is studied based on the fracture mechanics. Concerning the powered railway axles, the fatigue design method in Japan is compared with that in Europe and the effect of the train velocity on the allowable load is discussed.     

基于坐标测量机的铁路轮对参数的测量方案

设计了一种基于三坐标测量机的轮对几何参数自动测量装置,对其主要结构和工作原理作了详细分析,并给出来轮对几何参数的计算式。该测量装置结合了三坐标测量机测量精度高和自动测头智能化程度高的特点,可实现工件的自动、批量化检测,它对于解决目前轮对测量手段落后、测量误差大、劳动强度高等问题具有一定的实际意义。     

Fracture mechanics and scale effects in the fatigue of railway axles

Fatigue of railway axles is one of the basic problems of fatigue. However, in spite of the criticality of this component, modern approaches have not been used for addressing a critical revision of traditional design. The scope of this paper is to study the scale effects in fatigue limit and in crack growth rate for a high strength steel used for high speed railway axles.Fatigue limit tests on micro-notched specimens led to the determination of fatigue thresholds for small cracks of the examined steel. This allowed us to successfully analyse the `scale effect' and the fatigue strength of full-scale axles in terms of threshold stress for short cracks emanating from small non-metallic inclusions.A series of crack propagation tests on small scale specimens lead to the definition of an EPFM crack propagation model which has been successfully compared with propagation data on full-scale components. These results support the application of the crack propagation model for the determination of axle inspection intervals.     

An investigation on the influence of rotary bending and press fitting on stress intensity factors and fatigue crack growth in railway axles

The present paper summarizes the results of fatigue crack growth investigations on a hollow railway axle which were undertaken as a joint research project between the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and the GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht, Germany, within an activity of ESIS-TC24 (Technical Committee on the Integrity of Railway Structures). Since no analytical stress intensity factor (SIF) solutions for semi-elliptical surface cracks in the S-transitions of railway axles were available, the first step in the research was to generate them for both reverse and rotary bending. The results were then used to investigate both the effects of rotary bending, and, of the press fits at the wheel and gear, on the fatigue crack growth and residual lifetime so as to provide essential input information for setting up inspection intervals. It was found that the effect of rotary bending, although existent, was rather moderate whereas the press fits had a large and detrimental effect.     

EURAXLES – A global approach for design,production and maintenance of railway axles: WP2 – development of numerical models for the analysis of railway axles

Current european standards for axle calculations (EN 13103 and EN 13104) are based on an analytical method applying flexural beam principle for critical sections selected by the designer. The method bases on works performed in the 1960s that were introduced to different international reports and recommendations before being adopted by the mentioned european standards. The present procedures for design, production and maintenance of axles lead to reliable products, as shown by the accumulated experience along the last decades. These methods are widely accepted and applied to axle designs in common usage. However, in order to look for optimized products, more accurate modelling techniques like the finite element analysis (FEA) should be adopted, especially for complex structures like powered axles. The characteristics of the finite element models to be applied to railway axles have been analysed in terms of element definition, convergence analysis, boundary conditions, etc. Parametric analyses have been performed to assess the applicability of the models. The numerical models generated have been validated through the comparison with experimental results coming from full scale fatigue tests. Finally, a methodology to design axles using modelling tools as a complement to current european norms is proposed looking for a compromise between the computational effort and the results obtained.     

A multi-criteria decision model to determine inspection intervals of condition monitoring based on delay time analysis

In periodic monitoring, the main problem is determining the inspection interval of condition monitoring. For this problem, the decision variable is represented by the time of next inspection of condition monitoring. There are several studies that deal with prescribing inspection intervals. But only a few of these allow the decision maker to observe simultaneously more than one aspect. This does not accord with the natural tendency of the decision maker who desires to see the decision problem from a broader perspective, by having different viewpoints or dimensions of choices. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to propose a decision model, which can simultaneously determine inspection intervals for condition monitoring regarding the failure behavior of equipment to be inspected, features of maintainability and decision maker preferences about cost and downtime.     

EURAXLES – A global approach for design,production and maintenance of railway axles: WP4 – “Tools,technologies and surface protection systems minimizing the negative influence of corrosion or surface damage on the free axle surface“

Work Package 4 “Tools, technologies and surface protection systems minimizing the negative influence of corrosion or surface damage on the axle surface” of the EURAXLES project aimed on development of practical solutions for wheelset protection systems to avoid corrosion and damages at the axles and thus minimizing the risk of axle failures. The work included investigations for improving the paint adhesion by grit‐blasting of the axle surface, alternative and innovative coating systems, recommendations for quality tests of painting and coatings and also investigation of unpainted axles.     

Evaluation of eddy current testing for quality assurance and process monitoring of automated fiber placement

Standards in energy and cost efficiency are higher the ever especially in the aerospace industry. While structures made from carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) show significant advantages in regards to specific strength and lightweight design, further improvements in their production processes are essential in order for CFRP to be competitive in the future. The authors present eddy current (EC) testing as a means for quality assurance (QA) and process monitoring for CFRP parts produced by automatic fiber placement (AFP), which is one the most prevalent production methods in aerospace industry. Eddy current testing shows the potential for highly automated process monitoring that can reduce error correction and cycle time in AFP.     

饰品中有害元素的限定及无损检测方法的前瞻

该文对即将出台的关于饰品中有害元素限定的国家行业标准进行了介绍,并提出了相关的无损检测方法的前瞻。     

A non-destructive method for the measurement of residual strains in semi-crystalline polymer components

A new non-destructive tool is presented, enabling the measurement of locked-in residual strains in semi-crystalline polymer-based components. The technique employs high-energy synchrotron X-rays to probe the variation of diffraction angle within a well-defined ‘gauge volume’ with a spatial resolution of the order of 1 mm. Lattice strain is calculated from the diffraction angles.An overview of the experimental methodology and underlying principles involved in the non-destructive evaluation of residual strain in polymer-based components is given. Preliminary results show that synchrotron X-rays can be used successfully to measure the internal elastic residual strain field in polymer components, being potentially applicable to other materials. The method was used successfully to measure residual strains in a commercial high density polyethylene gas pipeline sample.     

Terahertz spectroscopy to study the orientation of glass fibres in reinforced plastics

We employ terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz TDS), a novel, non-destructive testing method, to study the fibre orientation and fibre content in reinforced plastics. The birefringent properties of plastics filled with differing amounts of short glass fibres are measured at frequencies from 100 GHz up to 1 THz. To predict the permittivity of the experimentally examined composite materials, we use an effective medium theory first introduced by Polder and van Santen. On the basis of the measured data and this model, we deduce the additive content ξ, the preferential orientation of the fibres φ and the fraction of orientated fibres a. Our findings agree well with corresponding mold flow simulations performed with commercially available software.     

Hybridization effect on the mechanical properties of curaua/glass fiber composites

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of hybridizing glass and curaua fibers on the mechanical properties of their composites. These composites were produced by hot compression molding, with distinct overall fiber volume fraction, being either pure curaua fiber, pure glass fiber or hybrid. The mechanical characterization was performed by tensile, flexural, short beam, Iosipescu and also nondestructive testing. From the obtained results, it was observed that the tensile strength and modulus increased with glass fiber incorporation and for higher overall fiber volume fraction (%V_f). The short beam strength increased up to %V_f of 30 vol.%, evidencing a maximum in terms of overall fiber/matrix interface and composite quality. Hybridization has been successfully applied to vegetable/synthetic fiber reinforced polyester composites in a way that the various properties responded satisfactorily to the incorporation of a third component.     

Multimodal analysis of GRC ageing process using nonlinear impact resonance acoustic spectroscopy

Glass fibre Reinforced Cement (GRC) is a composite material composed of Portland cement mortar with low w/c (water/cement) ratio and high proportion of glass fibres. This material suffers from the ageing process by losing its strength with time because of its exposure to severe weather conditions. Ageing process damages the fibre surface and decreases the mechanical properties of the structural components made of this material. It reduces the elastic modulus and toughness of GRC. Fracture toughness is traditionally measured by four point bending tests. In a previous study by the authors it was observed that ageing related deterioration or damage of GRC could be monitored by Non Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques such as Non-linear Impact Resonance Acoustic Spectroscopy (NIRAS) and other ultrasonic techniques. The scope of this paper is to corroborate previous investigations and offer early damage detection capability by generating more experimental data points by optimizing location of the point of strike and thus generating more resonance vibration modes in NIRAS tests.     

The study on defects in aluminum 2219-T6 thick butt friction stir welds with the application of multiple non-destructive testing methods

The present study focused on the relationship between primary friction stir welding process parameters and varied types of weld-defect discovered in aluminum 2219-T6 friction stir butt-welds of thick plates, meanwhile, the weld-defect forming mechanisms were investigated. Besides a series of optical metallographic examinations for friction stir butt welds, multiple non-destructive testing methods including X-ray detection, ultrasonic C-scan testing, ultrasonic phased array inspection and fluorescent penetrating fluid inspection were successfully used aiming to examine the shapes and existence locations of different weld-defects. In addition, precipitated Al₂Cu phase coarsening particles were found around a ‘kissing-bond’ defect within the weld stirred nugget zone by means of scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. On the basis of volume conservation law in material plastic deformation, a simple empirical criterion for estimating the existence of inner material-loss defects was proposed. Defect-free butt joints were obtained after process optimization of friction stir welding for aluminum 2219-T6 plates in 17–20 mm thickness. Process experiments proved that besides of tool rotation speed and travel speed, more other appropriate process parameter variables played important roles at the formation of high-quality friction stir welds, such as tool-shoulder target depth, spindle tilt angle, and fixture clamping conditions on the work-pieces. Furthermore, the nonlinear correlation between weld tensile strengths and weld crack-like root-flaws of different lengths was briefly investigated.