Nimonic compound exhaust valve spindles for diesel engines via hot isostatic pressing

Abstract

Until the present time the materials used for exhaust valve spindles for diesel engines have comprised a main body of heat resistant austenite steel with a Stellite layer covering the seat area. Recently, to satisfy increasing demands for higher efficiency of engines, a forged Nimonic 80A exhaust valve spindle has been developed. This valve spindle has higher strength and hot corrosion resistance than conventional austenite steel valves. This paper introduces a compound type Nimonic 80A–austenite steel valve spindle produced via hot isostatic pressing. Nimonic 80A powder metal is consolidated and diffusion bonded to an austenite spindle body. The seat area and the total combustion chamber side of the spindle are clad using Nimonic 80A. The compound valve spindle produced via hot isostatic pressing has the same performance as a forged Nimonic 80A spindle and in addition it has improved repair weldability and hot corrosion resistance compared with the forged Nimonic 80A spindle valve. Because less of the expensive Nimonic 80A material is used, there is an added advantage in that the cost of the valve would be cheaper. Successful engine test results are also described.

MST/315B     

Stress corrosion of Ni-based superalloys

Abstract

The development of gas turbines to increase fuel efficiency is resulting in progressively higher operating temperatures in the under platform regions of the blades. These regions have traditionally been considered low risk areas. However, higher metal temperatures combined with stresses and the deposition of contaminants from the cooling air system may result in complex degradation mechanisms. Static stress corrosion testing has been conducted on C-ring specimens at a range of stresses in a hot corrosion environment. Cracks were observed in C-rings after exposure times greater than 100 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) systems were used to image cracks and characterise deposits to improve understanding of the mechanism. Finite element analysis (FEA) has been used to model the stress intensity under test conditions. CMSX-4 specimens subject to static stresses combined with hot corrosion demonstrated significant material degradation (crack initiation and propagation) suggesting a combined stress corrosion mechanism resulting in cracking.     

A PROCEDURE FOR ANALYSIS OF LEAK BEFORE BREAK IN PIPES SUBJECTED TO FATIGUE OR IGSCC ACCOUNTING FOR COMPLEX CRACK SHAPES

Abstract A procedure is described which predicts the growth of an initial circumferential surface crack through a pipe wall and further on to final failure of the pipe. The crack growth mechanism can either be fatigue or stress corrosion. Consideration is taken to complex crack shapes, since especially the last growth mechanism often results in a substantially longer crack length on the inside of the pipe than on the outside for the initial leaking crack due to the distribution of weld residual stresses. The procedure has been implemented in a computer program that in an integrated fashion calculates crack sizes and mass leak rates as a function of time and also predicts when leakage and final failure occur. The information obtained makes it possible to judge if the concept of leak before break is fulfilled.     

On the Compliance Contribution Tensor for a Concave Superspherical Pore

Erosion and corrosion result in potential material loss. The erosion is a physical phenomenon but corrosion is chemical one. The study of these two phenomena, as functions of time and temperature, would lead to a better understanding of glass surface damage. Results allow one to determine the effects of immersion time, temperature of the water bath and residual stresses generated by Vickers indentation on the radial crack and topography of the imprint on the surface of a soda-lime silica glass. Water corrosion effects are different at the imprint corner and the radial crack tip as compared to edges and faces.     

安全阀配对法兰焊口裂纹产生原因分析

某集气装置原料气放空安全阀配对法兰焊口处出现裂纹,通过宏观以及微观检验、化学成分分析、力学性能测试等方法对裂纹产生的原因进行了分析。结果表明：该裂纹为硫化物应力腐蚀开裂所致,焊接工艺不当或焊后冷却速度过快导致焊接接头区域出现硫化物应力腐蚀开裂敏感性组织是该焊口产生裂纹的主要原因。     

Relationship between dynamic characteristics of air film of aerostatic spindle and mid-frequency of surface topography

The dynamic characteristics of the gas film of an aerostatic spindle primary affect workpiece waviness in ultra-precision machining. To improve the machining accuracy of the machine tool and provide a firm theoretical basis for the design of an aerostatic spindle, a simulation model combining transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and transient dynamic analysis is established in this study to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the spindle under unstable operating conditions. Based on a large eddy simulation, a three-dimensional flow model of an air film in an aerostatic spindle is established. The simulation results show that the gas flow in the throttle chamber is turbulent, and that complex vortices are formed. Using dynamic grid modeling technology, a CFD numerical model for the unsteady calculation of the spindle is established, and the dynamic characteristics of the gas film are obtained. A transient dynamic simulation model of an aerostatic spindle is established, and the effect of the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of the gas film on the spindle displacement response is investigated. Subsequently, a surface morphology prediction model is established. Results show that film fluctuation significantly affects the dynamic characteristics of the spindle and subsequently affects the generation of surface ripples on the workpiece.The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-022-00391-4     

CONSIDERATIONS OF ALLOWABLE STRESS OF CORROSION FATIGUE (FOCUSED ON THE INFLUENCE OF PITTING)

Abstract— Long life corrosion fatigue behaviour is discussed. The importance of (i) quantification of corrosion pit depth (or surface roughness caused by corrosion) as a function of service period and (ii) corrosion pit modelling is emphasized. Extreme value statistics is useful for corrosion pit depth quantification. It is demonstrated that a corrosion pit can be treated as an elliptical crack with the same depth and surface length as a pit. From these considerations, a method for determination of a reasonable allowable stress in corrosion fatigue is proposed. Finally, an example of an allowable stress is given, i.e. the allowable stresses of a real machine component under rotating bending stress are determined from estimation curves of pit depth together with corrosion fatigue crack growth data.     

Investigations of corrosion resistance of Fe-, Ni- and Co-based hardfacings

In the present paper, the potential of surface coatings to increase corrosion of internal combustion engine valves is discussed. The corrosion tests were carried out to study in simulated engine chamber environment the performance of Ni-, Co- and Fe-based materials used for plasma deposition. Hot corrosion tests were performed in air, sulphur dioxide containing atmosphere and in molten synthetic ash. The crucible-sorting test was used to simulate deposits on valve seats from residual fuel combustion which are responsible for rapid corrosion due to the presence of molten phase. The new alloys containing Ni and Co can be potentially applied as valve hardfacings.     

An arc-shaped crack in an electrostrictive material

The plane problem of a circular-arc crack in an infinite electrostrictive solid under remote electric fields is studied based on the complex variable method. First, explicit solutions for the complex potentials are presented in closed-form. Secondly, intensity factors of total pseudo stresses are derived by taking the Maxwell stresses around the infinite surrounding space and inside the crack into account. Then, numerical results are given to discuss the effects of electric fields on the fracture of electrostrictive materials. It is found that when the interior of the crack is filled with the same gas as that at infinity, the applied electric field has no effects on crack growth; however, when the interior of crack and the surrounding space at infinity are filled with different gases, the applied electric field may either enhance or retard crack growth, which depends on the electric boundary conditions adopted on the crack faces, the Maxwell stresses on the crack faces and at infinity, and the central angle of the crack.     

Lokale Last- und Eigenspannungsverteilungen an rißbehafteten Oberflächen nach Korrosionsermüdung von vergütetem Ck 45

Distributions of Loading and Residual Stresses in Cracked Surfaces of Corrosion Fatigued Quenched and Tempered Steel Ck 45 Corrosion fatigue in the active state leads to a great number of short cracks and corrosion pits in the surface of metallic materials. This paper deals with the resulting distributions of loading and residual stresses in the case of bending fatigue. The material investigated was the quenched and tempered CBN-ground steel Ck 45. Results presented clearly indicate that stress distributions around cracks and corrosion pits are very inhomogeneous. Corrosion pits lead to a relaxation of manufacturing induced residual stresses. In the loaded state as a consequence of notch effects, maximum stresses are observed, which explains the importance of corrosion pits as crack initiation sites.     

Failure analysis of the exhaust valve stem from a Waukesha P9390 GSI gas engine

A failure occurred of the exhaust valve stem from a Waukesha P9390 GSI gas engine. The valve failed as a result of overheating. The significant hardness loss and the extensive surface oxidation and fretting/galling on the valve stem were indicative of the overheating. The fatigue properties of the alloy dropped due to the over aging and the over temperature. This led to multiple fatigue crack initiation followed by rapid crack propagation to failure.     

制冷压缩机阀片断裂失效分析

对半封闭活塞式制冷压缩机的断裂阀片的分析表明,阀片失效属于金属疲劳断裂机制。阀片表面缺陷可以形成疲劳裂纹源,而阀片在加工或者使用过程中形成的机械损伤或者腐蚀凹痕是表面缺陷的表现形式。对7C27 Mo2和20C两种阀片钢进行比较分析可知,7C27 Mo2比20C具有更高的抗拉强度、硬度、疲劳强度和耐腐蚀性,在压缩机高负荷使用条件下应优先选用7C27 Mo2。     

A study on the mechanical stress relieving and safety assessment without post-weld heat treatment

For full welded body valve, the temperature of grommet cannot exceed 150 °C in order to prevent it from damaging and assure the tightness and the service life of valve. Therefore, post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) cannot be used to relieve the residual stresses. In this study, the effect of the mechanical stress relieving (MSR) treatment on the residual stresses was studied by the finite element method and experimental work. A pressure and time diagram of MSR treatment was established. A two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element model was used to simulate the residual stresses field. Before and after MSR treatment, the residual stresses on the outer surface were measured by the blind hole drilling method. Finally, the fracture toughness behaviors of weld zone (WZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ) were investigated in terms of crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) according to BS7448 and DNV-OS-C401 fracture toughness tests standards. The safety of the valve in active service was assessed without PWHT. Through comparison and analysis, the axial residual stresses and the hoop residual stresses on the outer surface of valve are mainly tensile. The peak value of tensile stress occurs nearer to the outer surface of the valve. MSR treatment can decrease the peak value of axial residual stresses and hoop residual stresses on the outer surface obviously and make the residual stresses distribution more uniform. The safety of the valve in active service is reliable without PWHT.     

Nd:YAG laser surface melting of aluminium alloy 6013 for improving pitting corrosion fatigue resistance

Laser surface treatment of aluminium alloy 6013 was conducted with the aim of improving the alloy’s resistance to pitting corrosion fatigue. The study showed that laser melting using a high power Nd:YAG laser increased the resistance of the alloy to pitting corrosion and pitting corrosion fatigue. As corrosion pits are favourable sites for the initiation of fatigue cracks, and the process of crack initiation often takes up most of the fatigue life, especially at low stress levels, a high pitting corrosion resistance resulted from the laser treatment improved fatigue crack initiation resistance. With regard to fatigue crack propagation, although interdendritic boundaries are vulnerable to corrosion attacks due to the presence of second phase particles, nonetheless, due to the nature of the rough and undulating fracture surface, fatigue growth would be retarded. Under the present experimental conditions, the improvement in corrosion resistance brought about by laser surface melting was found to prevail over the adverse effect caused by the residual stresses induced by laser melting.     

Gas turbine disk-blade attachment crack

Evaluation of a gas turbine disk revealed a crack in the blade attachment area. The subsequent effort to understand the origin of this crack led to a series of analyses that included computing the stresses on the attachment, characterization of fatigue crack growth, and a model for fretting fatigue crack growth. These elements were brought together to simulate the conditions that led to the cracking. It is concluded that the crack was probably caused by fretting fatigue induced by the stresses related to normal takeoff and landing cycles and exacerbated by aircraft maneuvers, and that short periods of blade resonance may have contributed to the cracking. If material had not been removed from the attachment surface of the disk by service-induced wear, it is likely more cracks would have been found.     

Investigatiom of deposition and wear problems with hardfaced coatings for high temperature liquid metal service

We have examined hardfaced coatings on two valves that were designed for use in high temperature liquid sodium environments. The valve bodies were type 304 stainless steel and were hardfaced with AWSRCoCr-A (cobalt-base material) using the gas tungsten-arc process.One valve was a cold leg trap valve that was removed from the Sodium Component Test Installation at the Liquid Metal Engineering Center. Owing to system redesign this valve was removed from sodium service after 40 000 h at temperatures up to 427°C (800°F). It had experienced some sticking but this was not of significant consequence. The microstructure of RCoCr-A consists of an austenite matrix and a carbide and eutectic carbide interdendritic structure from which the material gains its wear resistance. Evaluation revealed evidence of erosion/corrosion of the hard interdendritic material, thus leaving a wear surface of softer matrix material. As a result, some galling (self-wedding) of the wear surfaces apparently occured.The other valve was a hot leg isolation valve intended for use in the Fast Flux Test Facility. This valve was rejected owing to hot cracking during deposition of the hardfacing material (coating) and was not put into operation. The hardfaced surface was inspected for liquid penetration and was sectioned for evaluation by metallographic examination, scanning electron microscopy and microprobe analysis. It was concluded that hot cracking occured in the base metal, due to liquation of grain boundaries in the weld heat-affected zone, and was followed by crack propagation through the hardfaced deposit.     

Failure analysis of nozzle zone before valve of negative pressure chamber from main pipe coolant system in nuclear power plant

Nozzle zone before valve of negative pressure chamber from main pipe coolant system in the secondary circuit of reactor is made of F316 stainless as usual. The butt weld between nozzle and socket in main pipe is the weakest part. If the rupture occurs, it will directly lead to the leakage of main system. One nuclear power plant finds a local penetration crack in the weld of nozzle zone, and it leads to leakage in the inspection. The length of crack is 23.6 mm, nearly 41.7% of the perimeter. In this work, crack morphology observation, composition analysis, metallographic structure observation and hardness measurement are done for the leak part. Analysing with the service environment and force condition, the inner wall of nozzle has a greater stress concentration. It easily leads to fatigue cracking near the fusion line area with poor welding, and the crack extends from inner wall to outer wall. The fatigue crack evolves to corrosion fatigue crack during the crack propagation, and the further advices for use are provided.     

Application and optimisation of materials in valve train

Abstract

Recently the requirements imposed on parts in the valve train have significantly increased and different trends are apparent for different fuels. These fuels can be defined as conventional fuels, heavy fuels, and (natural) gas. For conventional fuels, no major differences exist between truck and marine engine applications. Owing to an increase in peak pressure and process temperature, new designs and materials are required in these fields of application. For heavy fuel applications, corrosion presents a continuing problem because of further increasing temperatures. Improved materials, surface protection, and heat transfer could reduce problems such as seat burning and corrosion on valve stems, valve heads, and guides. Varying compositions of natural gas and problems with the mixture control require the optimisation of the tribological system of valve seat–valve seat insert and an improvement in the behaviour of valve materials at elevated temperatures. Both technically and economically there are many problems to solve. This paper addresses the techniques and results of improvement and optimisation, for example, finite element analysis and test facilities, improvement and optimisation of valve steels, and the surface protection, heat transfer, design, and interactions between valve stem guide and the valve seat-seat insert.

MST/3156     

Stress Corrosion Cracking in Plastic Pipes: Observation and Modeling

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in engineering thermoplastics is commonly observed in the form of a microcrack colony within a surface layer of degraded polymer exposed to a combined action of mechanical stresses and chemically aggressive environment. A probabilistic modeling of SCC initiation is briefly discussed. A deterministic modeling of slow stress corrosion (SC) crack growth process is developed using Crack Layer (CL) theory. Numerical solution of SC crack growth equations is discussed. Comparison of the kinetics of cracks driven by SC and by stress only is presented. Conventional plot of SC crack growth rate vs. the stress intensity factor is constructed and analyzed. An algorithm for conservative estimation of lifetime of engineering thermoplastic subject to a combination of mechanical stresses and chemically aggressive environment is discussed.     

Deterioration of fracture toughness of concrete under acid rain environment

Deterioration of fracture toughness of concrete caused by acid rain attack was investigated through laboratory-accelerated corrosion tests. Fracture toughness of the corroded concrete with different corrosion period was obtained by three point bending tests, and meanwhile the P-COMD curves and elastic modulus E of the corroded specimens with different corrosion degrees were also obtained. The experimental results showed that the deterioration of concrete surface is large and the corrosion depth increases with corrosion duration. The observation by scanning electron microscopy showed that the microstructures of crack tip are porous and loose due to acid corrosion, and many crisscross cracks appear at corrosion layer. Based on the experimental results, equivalent crack length in the fracture process zone and the effective fracture toughness K_IC were also obtained by theoretical analysis. Under the impact of acid corrosion, the concrete material physical and chemical properties changed significantly, which made the corresponding resistance stresses to crack propagation decrease. The curves of fracture toughness versus corrosion depth were obtained in this study.