A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE CRACK CLOSURE EFFECT ON NEAR-THRESHOLD FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH

Abstract— Crack closure in the near-crack-tip region has been considered to be an important contribution to the development of a crack-growth threshold for macroscopic cracks. Recent analytical work, however, has suggested that closure well back of the tip may be the controlling factor. In order to check on this possibility, material has been machined away far behind the crack tip in order to eliminate long-range closure. Removal of this material did not eliminate the threshold, but did lower the threshold level by approx. 10% for tests conducted on 6.3 mm-thick X7090-T6 powder metallurgy aluminum alloy.     

A COMPARISON OF NEAR-THRESHOLD FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION IN TWO HIGH STRENGTH STEELS

Abstract— Fatigue crack growth rate data for long and short cracks were obtained from two high strength steels used in the aerospace industry. Differences in the behaviour of the two cracks were noted and explained in terms of the three-dimensional nature of short cracks compared to two-dimensional long cracks, the interaction between cracks, the applicability of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) and their effect of crack closure.     

NEAR-THRESHOLD FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH AND CRACK CLOSURE IN A NODULAR CAST IRON

Abstract— Near-threshold fatigue crack growth and crack closure were investigated in a nodular cast iron. Fracture surface roughness was promoted by spheroidal graphites. The spheroidal graphites are partially crushed to form powder which accumulates within the crack and thus enhance crack closure. The marked influence of stress ratio on near-threshold crack growth is due to graphite-induced crack closure. When the contribution of graphite-induced crack closure is excluded, the crack growth characteristics are insensitive to stress ratio, and the threshold behaviour for crack growth tends to disappear. In this case, Young's modulus becomes a controlling material parameter for the power law relationship between crack growth rate and stress intensity range.     

EFFECT OF NOTCH STRESS FIELD AND CRACK CLOSURE ON SHORT FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH

Abstract— The growth rate of a short fatigue crack that is partly or wholly embedded within the notch plastic zone, is affected by the extent and intensity of the elastic-plastic notch stress field and closure effect. The notch stress—strain field and plastic zone were analysed by the Finite Element Method (FEM). The growth rate and the closure curve for a short fatigue crack emanating from the notch root were measured. Based on the experimental and numerical analyses, a modified Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) parameter is proposed for a short through-thickness crack emanating from a notch root under elastic—plastic loading conditions.     

THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT ON CRACK CLOSURE AND FATIGUE THRESHOLD*

Abstract— The threshold value for fatigue crack growth of a medium carbon steel was increased when the test-environment was changed from air to an aggressive H₂S-containing brine. This increase in fatique threshold was shown to be caused by corrosion product-induced crack closure. Further, the fatigue threshold and crack closure level were shown to be dependent on the growth rate history in approaching threshold. The differences in fatigue crack growth rate and fatigue threshold resulting from test procedure and growth rate history were significantly reduced by employing the effective stress intensity concept.     

残余应力场中疲劳裂纹的闭合作用

疲劳裂纹在残余压应力场中的扩展可藉助于裂纹闭合力来描述。采用板状试样相变温度下急冷以获得长程残余压应力场。应用动态测定法可同时测得裂纹闭合力和扩展速率。结果表明,残余压应力的最大值位置与扩展速率的最低值和闭合力的峰值所对应的裂纹长度基本相同。可以认为残余压应力提高了裂纹的闭合力,它使最小有效应力强度因子 K_(eff min)升高,从而减小了裂纹的扩展驱动力△K_(eff),这是裂纹扩展速率降低的主要原因。     

CRACK FACE INTERACTIONS AND NEAR-THRESHOLD FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH

Rough fracture surfaces usually influence substantially the fatigue growth properties of materials in the regime of low growth rates. Friction, abrasion, interlocking of fracture surface asperites and fretting debris reduce the applied load amplitude to a smaller effective value at the crack tip (“sliding crack closure”, or “crack surface interaction” or “crack surface interference”). The influence of these phenomena on the fatigue crack growth properties of structural steel is discussed and compared for the two kinds of mixed mode loading employed in this work. Mixed mode loading was performed by (A): cyclic mode III + superimposed static mode I and (B): cyclic mode I + superimposed static mode III loading. Such loading cases frequently occur in rotating load-transmission devices. Several differences are typical for these two mixed-mode loading cases. A superimposed static mode I load increases the crack propagation rate under cyclic mode III loading whereas cyclic mode I fatigue crack propagation is retarded when a static mode III load is superimposed. Increase of the R -ratio (of the cyclic mode III load) leads to an insignificant increase of fracture surface interaction and subsequently to a small decrease of the crack growth rate for cyclic mode III loading, whereas higher R -values during cyclic mode I+ superimposed static mode III loading lead to a significant reduction of the crack growth rates.     

EFFECT OF NON-METALLIC INCLUSIONS ON CORROSION FATIGUE RESISTANCE OF P/M DUPLEX STAINLESS STEELS

Abstract— The effect of non-metallic inclusions on high-cycle fatigue resistance of powder metallurgically (P/M) fabricated and hot isostatically pressed (HIP) duplex stainless steels (DSSs) was investigated with axial fatigue test specimens in a chloride and sulphate containing aqueous solution at room temperature. The inclusion content of the studied materials was analysed with bulk oxygen content measurements as well as with optical and digital inclusion analysis methods. Fatigue crack initiation was observed to take place at material defects, i.e., on contaminated prior powder-particle boundaries or, especially, at oxide inclusions. Localised corrosion was not noticed at the initiation sites. Material defects had an especially pronounced effect on fatigue properties, when the stress ratio was R =0, but their effect decreased, when the calculated stress intensity factor was reduced below a certain value. Moreover, the change of the stress ratio from R =0 to R =-1 decreased the difference in high-cycle corrosion fatigue properties between P/M-HIP DSSs with different inclusion contents.     

EFFECT OF SIDE-GROOVES ON FATIGUE CRACK RETARDATION

Abstract— This paper describes results of an experimental program conducted to determine the influence of deep side-grooves on fatigue crack retardation. The results indicate that side-grooves significantly reduce the delay in fatigue crack growth caused by single peak overloads. It is suggested that the decreased retardation is due to simulation of plane strain conditions in the “thin” test sections by the stress field at the root of the side-groove.     

预应变对不同含碳量钢材疲劳特性的影响

通过对非预应变15号、35号和45号钢及其各种预应变材料进行实验,研究了预应变量对不同含碳量钢材疲劳强度和疲劳裂纹发生的影响。实验结果表明:在相同的预应变预量的条件下,材料的疲劳极限随含碳量的增加而提高;当预应变量较低时,预应变材料的疲劳极限低于非预应变材料,含碳量越高降低的程度越明显;当预应变量较高时,材料的疲劳极限随预应变量的增加而恢复或提高。     

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF SPECIMEN GEOMETRY EFFECTS ON FATIGUE CRACK CLOSURE

Abstract— Elastic-plastic finite element analysis is used to study fatigue crack closure at three different crack length to width ratios for three plane stress specimen geometries: center-cracked plate, single-edge-cracked plate (tension), and single-edge-cracked plate (bend). The maximum stress to flow stress ratio, S_max/σ_O, which successfully describes closure results in many center-cracked plate configurations, does not correlate the effect of different geometries on the normalized opening stress, S _open/ S _max. Crack opening stresses for different geometries and crack lengths are successfully correlated by a normalized stress intensity parameter, K _max/ K ₀, where K ₀=σ₀φa. The quality of the correlation is very high at small K _max/ K ₀, and gradually deteriorates as K _max/ K ₀ increases beyond the small-scale yielding regime.     

INFLUENCE OF TRANSFORMATION-INDUCED CRACK CLOSURE ON SLOW FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH UNDER VARIABLE AMPLITUDE LOADING

Abstract Fatigue crack growth under constant and random loading conditions was investigated for a metastable austenitic-bainitic steel in comparison with a ferritic chromium steel at very low crack growth rates. Experimentally determined random crack growth was compared with linear Miner calculations on the basis of constant amplitude results. It was found that the measured crack growth rates in transforming material are a factor of 10 lower than the calculated values, whereas the difference is only a factor of 2 for the ferritic steel. The reason for the pronounced crack growth retardation in the metastable alloy is transformation of part of the austenitic phase into martensite in the stress field of the crack tip, accompanied by a volume increase and, consequently, residual compressive stresses. Rare high load cycles in the random sequence increase the closure level, which then leads to pronounced retardation of fatigue crack growth for the numerous successive low amplitude cycles.     

氢蚀温度20G和15CrMo钢疲劳行为的影响

研究了氢蚀温度对２０Ｇ和１５ＣｒＭｏ钢常规力学性能疲劳性能和机制的影响以在力比对腐蚀后２０Ｇ钢疲劳性能的影响，结果表明，氢蚀后２０Ｇ钢的疲劳氢蚀对材料损伤程度和氢蚀导致和粗糙内裂纹途径造成产合效应增加两因素联合作用，氢蚀后１５ＣｒＭｏ钢脱碳严重，其疲劳行为仪受脱碳对材料的损伤作用的影响，应力比对２０Ｇ疲劳性能也有很大影响。     

INFLUENCE OF AN OVERLOAD ON THE FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH IN STEELS

Abstract— This study is concerned with the influence of a single-peak overload and the overload ratio on the subsequent rate of growth of a fatigue crack in steels. Retardation increases with increasing overload ratio.
The crack opening load was also measured during all tests. It is shown that the Elber's crack closure concept is not able to explain the effect of overloads. The importance of the material yield stress was evaluated by testing steels of different strength. It seems that the residual stress state induced by the overload is the major factor causing retardation. Two models are analyzed.     

UNSTABLE FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION AND FATIGUE FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF STEELS

This paper presents the results of fatigue crack growth and fatigue fracture toughness studies of a high-pressure vessel steel with particular emphasis on the influence of heat treatment, low temperatures, plastic prestraining, the stress ratio and specimen dimensions. It has been shown that steels in an embrittled state, caused primarily by thermal treatment and low-temperatures, exhibit unstable fatigue crack growth which is characterized by alternate crack jumps (cleavage zones) and zones of fatigue crack growth. The fatigue fracture toughness, which corresponds to the first crack jump, and final fracture can be appreciably lower (i.e. up to 50%) than the static fracture toughness under plane strain conditions at the corresponding temperature. An analysis has been performed of unstable and stable fatigue crack growth and a model of unstable crack propagation is proposed which accounts for the observed experimental behaviour.     

氢蚀温度对20G和15CrMo钢疲劳行为的影响

研究了氢蚀温度对２０Ｇ和１５ＣｒＭｏ钢常规力学性能与疲劳性能和机制的影响以及应力比对氢蚀后２０Ｇ钢疲劳性能的影响结果表明，氢蚀后２０Ｇ钢的疲劳行为受氢蚀对材料损伤程度和氢蚀导致粗糙的裂纹途径造成闭合效应增加两因素联合作用；氢蚀后１５ＣｒＭｏ钢脱碳严重，其疲劳行为仅受脱碳对材料损伤作用的影响；应力比对２０Ｇ疲劳性能也有很大影响     

工程机械用钢焊后疲劳断裂特性研究

为了研究高强钢在工程机械焊接结构中的疲劳特性,对HQ70、1E0170和WH60钢焊接接头的疲劳裂纹扩展特性进行了较系统的研究。研究中应用了一种柔度法疲劳裂纹自动测量系统进行裂纹长度测量。用三点弯曲试样对这些焊接结构的疲劳特性进行研究。用三参数方程和Paris公式回归得出这些钢种焊缝的裂纹扩展规律及门槛值,对研究结果进行讨论。HQ70钢焊接件的疲劳特性较其它两种钢都好。焊接质量对疲劳裂纹扩展特性影响很大。由于焊接接头的裂纹扩展速率波动较大,测量门槛值时应特别小心。     

THE EFFECT OF CRACK LENGTH ON FATIGUE THRESHOLD

This paper puts forward a new method for analysing the behaviour of very short fatigue cracks. A probability function is introduced into the definition of the growth threshold, which rationalises the scatter in experimental data produced using an aluminium bronze alloy. This probability function can be visualised in terms of the microstructure of the material.
It is shown that, in this material as in mild steels, fatigue crack initiation is not the critical stage. Initiation occurs relatively easily, but the cracks so formed may grow to only a few grain diameters in length before being arrested; thus it is the behaviour of cracks of this length which is critical in determining the fatigue strength of the material.
These observations, when combined with the probability functions, allow estimation of the probability of failure of a component or structure in service with greater confidence than the methods used at present.