A study on spot heating induced fatigue crack growth retardation

The propagation of a growing fatigue crack can be effectively retarded by heating a spot near the crack tip (under zero stress condition). Spot heating to a subcritical temperature and at a precise location modifies the crack growth behaviour in a way, more or less, similar to specimens subjected to an overload spike. It is observed that the magnitude of spot heating induced crack growth retardation increases with increase in spot temperature. It is also observed that the crack growth behaviour is influenced by the position of the heating spot and there exists an optimum position of hot spot that produces maximum retardation in fatigue crack growth rate. The plastic zone length due to spot heating has been estimated using experimental data. It is found that the plastic zone length due to spot heating increases exponentially with increase in spot temperature. The Wheeler model for crack growth retardation has been modified by introducing a plastic zone correction factor λ. The values of λ and the shaping exponent, m, in the Wheeler model have been obtained for different spot heating temperatures.     

A simple damage-accumulation model for constraint effects on ductile fracture

A simple model is presented to account for the effects of void-type damage on crack initiation and propagation in ductile steels under plane strain conditions by virtue of elementary fracture mechanics solutions. Multiple primary voids from large inclusions are uniformly distributed ahead of the crack tip. The growth of these primary voids is followed by nucleation of a large population of secondary voids from second-phase particles. A critical accumulative damage based on the length ratio of the damage zone to the spacing of primary voids, is employed as a failure criterion, including contributions from two populations of voids. Damage accumulation depends much on the strain and stress states such as stress triaxilities, which are extracted from existing results instead of detailed computation. Results show the dependence of fracture toughness on the size of damage zones associated with constraints. Initiation of crack growth is insensitive to the constraints since nucleation of fine voids is determined by local deformation. The model captures the transition in mechanisms from void-by-void growth to multiple void interactions in terms of a decreasing trend in the slopes of fracture resistance curves. At high constraints and large damage zone, a steady-state crack advance is identified with constant toughness. Damage accumulation from the growth of primary voids determines subsequent crack growth resistance and the study demonstrates its dependences on the crack-tip constraints.     

Analysis of temperature distribution near the crack tip under constant amplitude loading

An analytical/numerical method has been developed to find the temperature rise near the crack tip under fatigue loading. The cyclic plastic zone ahead of the crack tip is assumed to be the shape of the source of heat generation and some fraction of plastic work done in cyclic plastic zone as heat generation. Plastic work during fatigue load was found by obtaining stress and strain distribution within the plastic zone by Hutchinson, Rice and Rosengren (HRR) crack tip singularity fields applied to small scale yielding on the cyclic stress strain curve. A two‐dimensional conduction heat transfer equation, in moving co‐ordinates, was used to obtain temperature distribution around the crack tip. Temperature rise was found to be a function of frequency of loading, applied stress intensity factor and thermal properties of the material. A power–law relation was found between the rise in temperature at a fixed point near the crack tip and range of stress intensity factor.     

Analysis of the wedge-shaped damage zone in edge-notched polypropylene

The irreversible deformation behaviour of polypropylene during sharp single-edge-notched tension testing has been studied as a function of temperature. Specimens were tested at room temperature, –20, –40, and –60 °C with photographs taken of the notch tip area during testing. BelowT _g, a narrow wedge-shaped damage zone grew from the notch tip with increased stress. The damage zone length correlated with the ratio of applied stress to yield stress in agreement with the Dugdale model. The crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) was found to follow the predicted Dugdale CTOD when modified by using the secant modulus to account for viscoelasticity. The shape of the damage zone did not agree with the Dugdale model near the notch tip, but instead was found to follow a path of the minor principal stress trajectory. AboutT _g, the damage zone had a lower length-to-width ratio which no longer resembled the Dugdale model.     

Effects of rubbery phase and absorbed water on impact-modified nylon 66

The fatigue crack propagation (FCP) response of impact-modified nylon was investigated as a function of rubbery second phase content and absorbed water level. Particular attention was given to the influence of these material variables on the amount of hysteretic heating as measured With an infrared microscope. FCP resistance was raised when heating was localized near the crack tip, but lowered by more generalized specimen heating. Variations in FCP behaviour were found to depend strongly on changes in the dynamic storage and loss moduli resulting from hysteretic heating, with the heating-induced modulus changes being more important than the absolute temperature increase of the sample. The combination of rubbery phase end absorbed water produced greater specimen heating and, in general, produced poorer FCP resistance than with the presence of either factor ahne.     

宏微观双尺度运动裂纹模型面内拉伸下的解析解*

研究裂纹动态扩展中宏微观因素相互作用机制与微观裂尖区的钝化效应。平面拉伸状态下,宏观主裂纹以恒定速度运动。通过一个介观约束应力过渡区,将宏观主裂纹与微观裂尖区相连接,由此建立了一个宏微观双尺度运动裂纹模型。应用弹性动力学与复变函数理论,分别在宏观与微观尺度下对该模型进行解析求解,获得了解析解。通过裂纹张开位移从宏观到微观的连续性条件与宏微观应力场协调条件,将两个不同尺度下的解相耦合,获得了计算宏微观损伤区特征长度的显式表达式。研究表明,运动裂纹的宏观应力场仍具有通常的r&;#61485;1/2的奇异性。由于微观裂尖的钝化,微观应力场奇异性的阶次有所降低,与宏观应力场相比具有弱奇异性。双尺度运动裂纹模型中,可允许裂纹运动速度达到剪切波速,解除了经典运动裂纹理论中裂纹速度不能超过Rayleigh波速的限制。数值结果表明,介观损伤过渡区与裂尖微观损伤区尺寸,及裂纹张开位移等,与裂纹运动速度、材料性质、约束应力比、裂尖钝化角度等因素有关。     

Viscoelastic Creep Crack Growth: A Review of Fracture Mechanical Analyses

The study of time dependent crack growth in polymers using a fracture mechanics approach has been reviewed. The time dependence of crack growth in polymers is seen to be the result of the viscoelastic deformation in the process zone, which causes the supply of energy to drive the crack to occur over time rather than instantaneously, as it does in metals. Additional time dependence in the crack growth process can be due to process zone behavior, where both the flow stress and the critical crack tip opening displacement may be dependent on the crack growth rate. Instability leading to slip-stick crack growth has been seen to be the consequence of a decrease in the critical energy release rate with increasing crack growth rate due to adiabatic heating causing are duction in the process zone flow stress, a decrease in the crack tip opening displacement due to a ductile to brittle transition at higher crack growth rates, or an increase in the rate of fracture work due to more rapid viscoelastic deformation. Finally, various techniques to experimentally characterize the crack growth rate as a function of stress intensity have been critiqued. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the contact zone of a subinterfacial Zener-Stroh crack

Summary A Zener-Stroh crack is initiated by dislocations pile-up. Due to this displacement loading mechanism, only one of the two crack tips is sharp, and crack propagation is possible along the sharp tip only. When such a crack is initiated near an interface, the crack faces behind the sharp crack tip may contact each other due to material mismatch and loading combination. In the present study, a subinterface Zener-Stroh crack is analyzed with contact zone consideration near the tip. The problem is formulated as a set of nonlinear Cauchy-type singular integral equations which are solved numerically using Erdogan and Gupta's method. The physically pathological features of interpenetration of the crack surfaces and oscillation of the near tip fields are eliminated in the solutions due to the presence of a contact zone near the crack tip. It is found that the normal traction is bounded at the crack tip where a contact zone exists; while the shear traction has square-root singularities at both the crack tips. This result, is totally different to the case of an interface crack where Mode I and Mode II stress intensity factors, are inter-related at the sharp crack tip.     

High temperature fatigue crack growth in Inconel 718

Abstract

The nickel base superalloys are extensively used in high temperature applications, so it is important to know their behaviour under conditions of high-temperature fatigue. This paper studies the influence of ΔK, loading frequency, stress ratio and temperature on the high temperature fatigue crack growth rate of nickel base superalloys. This study is based on fatigue tests carried out in corner crack specimens of Inconel 718 at 600°C and at room temperature. Three stress ratios (R = 0.05, 0.5 and 0.8) and loading frequencies ranging from 0.0017 to 15 Hz were considered in the tests. For frequencies below 0.25 Hz, the load wave shape was trapezoidal with different dwell times at maximum load. At relatively high frequencies the propagation is cycle dependent, while for lower frequencies it is time dependent. At intermediate frequencies a mixed crack growth occurs. The transition frequencies from cycle dependent to mixed regime and from mixed to time dependent regime were obtained for each R. The increase of R increases the transition frequencies, i.e., extends the time dependent crack growth to higher frequencies. The increase of R also produces an increase of cyclic crack growth rate for all regimes of crack growth. In the time dependent regime, a higher variation is observed, that can be explained by an acceleration of oxidation damage promoted by the increase of maximum stress. An approach for modelling the high-temperature fatigue crack growth in nickel base superalloys is presented. A good agreement was observed between time dependent fatigue results and mathematical models based on static load results.     

Fatigue crack growth retardation in spot heated mild steel sheet

A fatigue crack can be effectively retarded by heating a spot near the crack tip under nil remote stress condition. The subcritical spot heating at a proper position modifies the crack growth behaviour in a way, more or less, similar to specimen subjected to overload spike. It is observed that the extent of crack growth retardation increases with increasing level of overload as well as with increasing spot temperature. It is also observed that modification in crack growth behaviour is a function of location of heating spot and maximum retardation is observed at + 5 position.     

风力机叶片复合材料裂尖温度场及微观损伤研究

依据热力耦合建立含微缺陷叶片的裂尖温度场数值模型,并研究了微缺陷叶片断裂微观损伤方式。首先,建立裂尖温度场数学模型需要确定塑性区范围和塑性区内的内热流密度函数。基于正交各向异性复合材料裂纹尖端应力场和Tsai-Wu屈服准则理论推导,得到含微缺陷风电叶片Ⅰ/Ⅱ复合型裂纹的塑性区范围;内热流密度函数按照裂纹扩散规律构造。其次,利用电子扫描电镜技术对叶片试件的断口失效微观结构进行检测。通过红外热像仪监测微缺陷叶片试件表面温度实验,验证了裂尖温度场计算模型的准确性;确定计算温度场模型中内热流密度函数幂数为2;通过显微技术发现含气泡缺陷的叶片试件有纤维断裂、基体开裂损伤方式。     

Viscoplasticity in a superalloy at elevated temperatures considering tension and compression loading

Few studies have been made on the stress/strain field or plastic zone size ahead of a crack tip in a high temperature environment under varying load frequencies and stress levels. Fewer studies have incorporated compressive loads or analyzed the effect of a negative R-ratio on the fatigue characteristics of the superalloy IN-100. This study involves the analysis of the stress field and plastic zone ahead of a crack tip in a compact tension specimen acting under a reverse loading considering IN-100, a superalloy. The finite element technique was used for this study incorporating the Bodner-Partom viscoplastic constitutive equations. Load spectra included a 2.5 Hz frequency with an R-ratio of − 1.0 (zero mean load).     

Failure prediction in toughened epoxy resins

In order to improve the damage tolerance of composites and the performance of adhesives, one of the methods being considered is toughened or modified epoxy resins. The modifiers which are commonly used are CTBN rubber and inorganic fillers. A major toughening mechanism causing the increased toughness is the shear deformation process occurring near the crack tip. The effect of such a deformation process is to blunt the crack tip and increase the size of the plastic zone. Several models are available to predict the toughness on the basis of plastic zone size, crack tip opening displacement or crack tip radius, but these are only applicable to Mode I crack extension. Also, most of these approaches use only one stress component which is normal to the crack plane to predict the fracture toughness. The present paper reviews the existing models and suggests a criterion based on the phenomenological approach to failure in order to study the yielding and fracture toughness behavior of both unmodified and modified epoxies. The proposed yield and fracture criteria give predictions in good agreement with experimental results.     

FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH LAWS FOR BRITTLE AND DUCTILE MATERIALS INCLUDING THE EFFECTS OF STATIC MODES AND ELASTIC-PLASTIC DEFORMATION

A fatigue crack growth damage accumulation model is used to derive laws for the fatigue crack growth rates of brittle and ductile materials. The damage accumulated during cyclic loading is assumed to be proportional to the cyclic change in the plastic displacement in the crack tip yielded zone. The static mode contribution to the fatigue damage is assumed to be proportional to some power of the crack tip displacement. The laws are applicable in either the small or large scale yielding regimes provided that the stress ratio remains positive. Static modes are assumed to be controlled by the fracture toughness value in brittle materials, and by the gradient of the crack growth resistance curve in ductile materials. In the analysis of ductile materials it is assumed that the crack growth resistance of the material is not significantly altered by fatigue crack growth.
The growth rate equations are expressed in terms of the near field value of the J -integral, i.e. the value which would be calculated from assuming the material deformed in a non-linear elastic manner during the increasing load part of the fatigue cycle. Examples are given of the predictions of the growth law for ductile materials. It is predicted that after the initiation of stable tearing the crack growth rate, when expressed in terms of the cyclic change in the stress intensity factor, depends on both the structural geometry and the degree of crack tip plastic deformation. In both brittle and ductile materials the fatigue crack growth rate is predicted to accelerate as the failure criteria relevant to static crack instability are approached.     

Shear-lag analysis of notched laminates with interlaminar debonding

This study considers a method of analysis for predicting the fracture behavior of a notched, unidirectional lamina in the presence of surface constraint layers with debonding between the unidirectional ply and the constraint layers. Two particular cases are presented, the first being a debonded zone of finite width with no longitudinal damage in the unidirectional ply. This solution is then extended to include longitudinal matrix yielding and splitting in the unidirectional ply at the crack tip. The analysis is based on a materials modeling approach using the classical shear-lag assumption to describe the shear transfer between fibers. The fracture behavior of the laminate is studied as a function of initial crack length, the relative physical and geometric properties of the constraint plies and the unidirectional lamina, and width of the debonded zone. The results indicate that debonding can reduce the maximum fiber stress at the crack tip on the order of ten percent. This effect is maximum for a debond width of two or three fiber spacings and is independent of the initial crack length. As the debond width grows beyond this point, the maximum stress increases. For widths of about ten fiber spacings or more, the maximum fiber stress is larger than for the fully bonded case. In the presence of longitudinal matrix damage the same general behavior is found; however, the location of the maximum fiber stress is quite complex. In some cases with large matrix damage and a high constraint ratio, the maximum fiber stress can occur at the end of the debonded zone away from the crack tip.     

Fatigue fracture of nylon polymers

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of frequency on fatigue crack propagation rates in unfilled nylon polymers. Specifically it was of interest to investigate the frequency dependence under conditions where hysteretic heat generation did not occur. For dry injection-moulded nylon the results demonstrate that a strong frequency dependence exists with higher crack propagation rates at lower frequencies. This indicates that the mechanism of fatigue crack growth at room temperature is primarily one of creep crack growth, especially at frequencies below 1.0 Hz. It is also noted that hysteretic heating causes fracture mode transitions to occur during stable fatigue crack propagation in injection-moulded nylons, even at relatively low cyclic frequencies (5.0 Hz).     

A model of brittle fracture propagation part I—continuum aspects

The micromechanism of crack propagation in steel is described and analyzed in continuum terms and related to the macroscopic fracture behavior. It is proposed that propagation of cleavage microcracks through favorably oriented grains ahead of the main crack tip is the principal weakening mode in brittle fracture. This easy cleavage process proceeds in the Griffith manner and follows a continuous, multiply connected, nearly planar path with a very irregular front which spreads both forward and laterally and leaves behind disconnected links which span the prospective fracture surface. A discrete crack zone which extends over many grains thus exists at the tip of a running brittle crack. Final separation of the links is preceeded by plastic straining within the crack zone and occurs gradually with the increasing crack opening displacement. It is suggested that in low stress fracture, straining of the links is the only deformation mode. However, it is recognized that under certain conditions plastic enclaves may adjoin the crack zone. This deformation mode is associated with high stress fracture, energy transition and eventually with crack arrest.

Energy dissipation resulting from the two deformation mechanisms is related to crack velocity, applied load and temperature and the crack velocity in a given material is expressed as a function of the external conditions. Fracture initiation and crack arrest are then discussed in terms of the conditions which are necessary to maintain the propagation process. Finally, the dimensions of a small scale crack tip zone for a steady state, plane strain crack are evaluated as functions of material properties and the elastic stress intensity factor.

The microstructural aspects of brittle fracture will be discussed in a separate Part 2 [1].     

The effect of temperature on the fracture of polycarbonate

The fracture toughness of polycarbonate was obtained over the temperature range 20 to ? 120° C. There is a strong thickness dependence which is described in terms of plane stress and plane strain values which are insensitive to temperatures above ?40° C but the plane stress value increases below this temperature. This change is associated with theβ transition and stable crack growth was observed in this region with accompanying instabilities arising from adiabatic heating at the crack tip.     

THE EFFECTS OF MOISTURE ON THE FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH BEHAVIOUR OF A LOW ALLOY STEEL NEAR THRESHOLD

Abstract— The influence of moisture on the fatigue crack growth behaviour near threshold of a 2NiCrMoV rotor steel has been investigated. At a high stress ratio ( R = 0.6), moisture enhances fatigue crack growth rates by approximately 60% compared with the growth rate in dry air. The effect would appear to be due to the influence of hydrogen which is confined to a volume of material at the crack tip considerably smaller than the plastic zone. At a low stress ratio ( R = 0.14), the growth rates in moist air can be very much lower than in dry air. This difference is closely associated with the formation of oxides on the fracture surface—moisture modifying the type and extent of oxidation which is observed. Observations of transient crack growth following environmental changes, suggest that fracture surface oxides within approximately 0.3 mm of the crack tip exert a strong retarding influence on crack growth although oxides up to at least 3 mm from the tip may also have some retarding effect.