Fatigue and fracture properties of thin metallic foils

Metallic thin foils are essential structural parts in microsystems,which may be subjected to fatigue loading caused by thermal fluctuations and mechanical vibrations influencing their reliability in numerous engineering applications. It is well known that the fatigue properties of bulk material cannot be adopted for small scaled structures. For a better understanding of the `size-effect' in the present investigation fatigue crack growth near threshold in the high cycle fatigue regime and associated fracture processes were studied. Free- standing rolled and electrodeposited Cu-, Mo- and Al foils of thickness from 20 m to 250 m in different conditions have been tested in a special experimental set up operating at R=–1 and a testing frequency of 20 kHz. At a given constant strain value the fatigue crack growth behaviour has been recorded accompanied by intermittent observation of the change of the dislocation structure in the vicinity of the growing crack by use of the electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI)-technique in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In a load shedding technique fatigue threshold stress intensity factor values have been derived and compared with data of bulk material. Typical crack growth features were detected depending on thickness and grain sizes of the foils. Various criteria (compliance, extent of plastic zones and plastic strain gradients) were selected for the explanation of this anomalous behaviour. Additionally fractomicrographs of uniaxial strained and fatigued foils have been studied to obtain further insight of the effect of dimensional constraint.     

Fatigue and fracture properties of thin metallic foils

Metallic thin foils are essential structural parts in microsystems, which may be subjected to fatigue loading caused by thermal fluctuations and mechanical vibrations influencing their reliability in numerous engineering applications. It is well known that the fatigue properties of bulk material cannot be adopted for small scaled structures. For a better understanding of the `size-effect' in the present investigation fatigue crack growth near threshold in the high cycle fatigue regime and associated fracture processes were studied. Free-standing rolled and electrodeposited Cu-, Mo- and Al foils of thickness from 20 m to 250 m in different conditions have been tested in a special experimental set up operating at R=–1 and a testing frequency of 20 kHz. At a given constant strain value the fatigue crack growth behaviour has been recorded accompanied by intermittent observation of the change of the dislocation structure in the vicinity of the growing crack by use of the electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI)-technique in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In a load shedding technique fatigue threshold stress intensity factor values have been derived and compared with data of bulk material. Typical crack growth features were detected depending on thickness and grain sizes of the foils. Various criteria (compliance, extent of plastic zones and plastic strain gradients) were selected for the explanation of this anomalous behaviour. Additionally fractomicrographs of uniaxial strained and fatigued foils have been studied to obtain further insight of the effect of dimensional constraint.     

Evaluation of giga-cycle fatigue properties of some maraging steels by intermittent ultrasonic fatigue testing

ABSTRACT In evaluating the giga-cycle fatigue strength of some high strength steels, information on the size distribution of nonmetallic inclusions contained in the material is indispensable. To save time and effort of obtaining such data concerning the inclusions, a convenient dissolution method to evaluate the maximum inclusion size is proposed, in place of a conventional method of measuring the inclusion sizes on many cross-sectional areas. Meanwhile, to save time-consuming work of obtaining giga-cycle fatigue properties of some metallic materials, an intermittent ultrasonic fatigue testing method has also been developed. In the present paper, these two newly developed methods were successfully combined to assess the long life fatigue properties of maraging steels as a function of inclusion size.     

The combined effects of grain and sample sizes on the mechanical properties and fracture modes of gold microwires

Hall-Petch relation was widely applied to evaluate the grain size effect on mechanical properties of metallic material. However, the sample size effect on the Hall-Petch relation was always ignored. In the present study, the mechanical test and microstructure observation were performed to investigate the combined effects of grain and sample sizes on the deformation behaviors of gold microwires. The polycrystalline gold microwires with diameter of 16 ?m were annealed at temperatures from 100°C to 600°C, leading to different ratios(t/d) of wire diameter(t) to grain size(d) from 0.9 to 16.7. When the t/d was lower than 10, the yield stress dropped fast and deviated from the Hall-Petch relation. The free-surface grains played key role in the yield stress softening, and the volume fraction of free-surface grains increased with the t/d decreasing. Furthermore, the effects of t/d on work-hardening behaviors and fracture modes were also studied. With t/d value decreasing from 17 to 3.4, the samples exhibited necking fracture and the dislocation pile-ups induced work-hardening stage was gradually activated.With the t/d value further decreasing(t/d 3.4), the fracture mode turned into shear failure, and the work-hardening capability lost. As the gold microwire for wire bonding is commonly applied in the packaging of integrated circuit chips, and the fabrication of microwire suffers multi-pass cold-drawing and annealing treatments to control the grain size. The present study could provide instructive suggestion for gold microwire fabrication and bonding processes.     

机械滚压对A473M钢疲劳性能的影响

采用机械滚压对A473M马氏体不锈钢轴套材料进行表面处理,研究滚压工艺对其力学性能的影响。采用SEM、白光干涉仪、X射线衍射仪、显微硬度计、EBSD、拉伸试验机和疲劳试验机分别对试样表面形貌、表面粗糙度、残余应力、显微硬度、拉伸性能和疲劳性能进行系统表征。结果表明:滚压加工试样表面的粗糙度明显降低,仅为车削加工的1/5;滚压加工在材料近表面引入残余压应力,其值最高可达946 MPa,沿深度方向逐渐减小,残余压应力层深度约为200μm,表面硬度提高30%左右,硬度影响层深度可达200μm;抗拉强度、屈服强度和伸长率分别提升了40%,22%和8%,疲劳寿命由基体材料的5.4×10^4周次提高到1×10^7周次。采用滚压加工后材料的力学性能明显提升,疲劳寿命显著增加。     

Finite-element analysis of fatigue crack closure under plane strain conditions: stabilization behaviour and mesh size effect

An elastic–plastic finite‐element analysis of fatigue crack closure is performed for plane strain conditions. The stabilization behaviour of crack opening level and the effect of mesh size on the crack opening stress are investigated. It has been well reported that the crack opening level under plane stress conditions becomes stable after the crack advances beyond the initial monotonic plastic zone. In order to obtain a stabilized crack opening level for plane strain conditions, the crack must be advanced through approximately four times the initial monotonic plastic zone. The crack opening load tends to increase with the decrease of mesh size. The mesh size nearly equal to the theoretical plane strain cyclic plastic zone size may provide reasonable numerical results comparable with experimental crack opening data. The crack opening behaviour is influenced by the crack growth increment and discontinuous opening behaviour is observed.     

A parametric study on fatigue strength of spot‐weld joints

Fastening elements usually lead to high stress concentrations; fatigue failure thus becomes the most critical failure mode for a fastening element itself or the region around it under fluctuating stresses. A designer should seek the ways of increasing fatigue strength of a joint to ensure the safety of the whole structure. Resistance spot welding is the most preferred method to join metal sheets. The design variables for spot‐weld joints affecting their strengths are basically sheet thickness, spot‐weld nugget diameter, number of spot welds and the joint type as exemplified in tensile shear (TS), modified tensile shear (MTS), coach peel (CP) and modified coach peel (MCP) specimens. In this study, the effects of these parameters on the fatigue life of spot‐weld joints have been investigated. For this purpose, one of the most reliable fatigue assessment models, Coffin–Manson approach, was used. In order to accurately determine the stress and strain states, a nonlinear finite element analysis was carried out taking into account plastic deformations, residual stresses developed after unloading and contacting surfaces. The results provide designers with some guidelines to foresee the impact of design changes on fatigue strength of spot‐weld joints.     

Comparative study of strain rate effects on mechanical properties of glass fibre-reinforced thermoset matrix composite

The tensile dynamic behaviour of glass fibre-reinforced phenolic and polyester resins has been determined in order to find the influence of strain rate on the mechanical properties of composite materials produced by the resin transfer moulding (RTM) and pultrusion processes. Data and experimental test systems from the literature are analysed. A new specimen design is created and validated using drop-weight dynamic tests. The dynamic elastic modulus and strength tend to increase in an important ratio for the majority of the materials studied. The shear modulus measured with off-axis and ±45° coupons produces different effects as a function of strain rate. The influence of the reinforcement structure is emphasized and shown to be effective.     

退火对玻璃包覆Fe_(69)Co_(10)Si_8B_(13)非晶微丝磁性能及力学性能的影响

研究了退火对玻璃包覆Fe69Co10Si8B13非晶合金微丝磁性能和力学性能的影响。结果表明,退火温度为450℃时,矫顽力和剩磁比最小,轴向和径向矫顽力分别为1.8Oe和8.5Oe,比退火前降低了31%和36%,轴向和径向剩磁比分别为0.031和0.012,比退火前降低了74%和63%。当退火温度低于450℃时,芯丝抗拉强度基本保持不变,平均抗拉强度约2500MPa;当退火温度高于450℃时,芯丝抗拉强度迅速降低。未退火及退火温度低于450℃退火时,合金芯丝断口存在少量的脉状花样,且脉状花样及花样交叉的数量越多,所对应的芯丝抗拉强度越高;经500℃以上退火后,放射状撕裂区占芯丝断口大部分面积,芯丝表现出更大的脆性。在450℃20min条件下退火,微丝具有较低的矫顽力和较高的强度,综合性能优良。     

On the corrosion fatigue crack initiation model and expression of metallic notched elements

In the present study, attempts are made to extend the application of the mechanical model for the fatigue crack initiation (FCI) and the FCI life formula of metallic notched elements in laboratory air to those in the corrosive environment. The test results and analysis of the corrosion FCI (CFCI) life of aluminum alloys and Ti---6A1---4V show that the expression of the CFCI life obtained by modifying the FCI life formula in laboratory air can give a good fit to the test results of the CFCI life. The salt water (3.5% NaCl) environment has no effects on the CFCI resistant coefficient compared with the FCI resistant coefficient in laboratory air. However, 3.5% NaCl environment greatly decreases the CFCI threshold of aluminum alloy, but has little effect on the CFCI threshold of Ti---6A1---4V. The loading frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 10 Hz has no appreciable effect on the CFCI life, and thus, the CFCI threshold of aluminum alloys investigated. Hence, the expression for the CFCI life of metallic notched elements proposed in this study is a better one, which reveals a correlation between the CFCI life and the governing parameters, such as, the geometry of the notched elements, the nominal stress range, the stress ratio, the tensile properties and the CFCI threshold. However, this new expression of the CFCI life needs to be verified by more test results.     

A review of deformation and fatigue of metals at small size scales

Mechanical devices are being introduced whose size scale is well below that of conventional mechanical test specimens. The smallest devices have sizes in the nanometer range, though a good proportion of structural devices are of the micrometer scale. Development of these products raises the question of how their mechanical behaviour and reliability may be predicted. Conventional macroscopic test data can be used, but these are obtained using specimens whose size is much larger than the devices themselves. There is a risk that performance predictions will be inaccurate, due to the existence of size effects. This paper covers small size scale testing in metallic specimens and devices, concentrating on free‐standing specimens. To begin, some examples of micro‐scale devices are given. Fabrication methods for small metallic devices are then briefly described. This is followed by a review of experimental observations of mechanical properties in various metallic materials at the micro‐scale, highlighting the differences in results from different research groups and the gaps in our current knowledge. A section on computational and predictive modelling is included, in recognition of the role of modelling in device design and testing. Overall, the findings are that size effects are common, particularly in crystalline samples when the grain size is similar to one or more of the specimen dimensions. However, observations of size effects differ between studies and mechanical properties can vary widely, even for the same type of material. As a consequence, the relationships between specific device processing methods, specimen size and material properties must be adequately understood to ensure successful performance.     

Effects of mechanical properties of concrete constituents including active mineral admixtures on fatigue behaviours of high performance concrete

In order to explore the links between the macroscopic and microstructural characteristics of concrete with admixtures of active mineral additions, four series of concrete prisms, of mortar matrix prisms and mortar-aggregate Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) are prepared and tested under monotonic and cyclic loads. Five static mechanical parameters (compressive and bending strength, fracture energy, elastic modulus, Poisson ratio) and bending fatigue performance (fatigue life, critical maximum displacement and strain, fatigue damage) of such materials are experimentally evaluated. The results show that degradation laws of concrete properties under both monotonic and cyclic loads vary with the different cohesive strength ratio and elastic modulus ratio of ITZ and mortar matrix. The single or double additions of ground slag and fly ash with optimized mass fractions remarkably enhance the static and bending fatigue properties as well as change the failure mechanisms of concrete.     

Effect of hardness on multiaxial fatigue behaviour and some simple approximations for steels

Constant-amplitude in-phase and 90° out-of-phase axial-torsional fatigue tests were conducted on tubular specimens made from a medium-carbon steel with three hardness levels obtained from normalizing, quenching and tempering and induction hardening to find the effect of hardness on multiaxial fatigue behaviour. In addition, the same loadings were applied on the normalized solid specimens to investigate the effect of specimen geometry on multiaxial fatigue life. Similar fatigue life variation as a function of hardness was found for in-phase and out-of-phase loadings, with higher ductility beneficial in low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and higher strength beneficial in high-cycle fatigue (HCF). Multiaxial fatigue data were satisfactorily correlated for all hardness levels with the Fatemi–Socie parameter. Furthermore, in order to predict multiaxial fatigue life of steels in the absence of any fatigue data, the Roessle–Fatemi hardness method was used. Multiaxial fatigue lives were predicted fairly accurately using the Fatemi–Socie multiaxial model based on only the hardness level of the material. The applicability of the prediction method based on hardness was also examined for Inconel 718 and a stainless steel under a wide range of loading conditions. The great majority of the observed fatigue lives were found to be in good agreement with predicted lives.     

A fracture mechanics analysis on the fatigue behaviour of cruciform joints of duplex stainless steel

The paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical study on the fatigue behaviour of cruciform load carrying joints made from the duplex stainless steel and failing from the weld root through the weld metal. Fatigue crack growth (FCG) data, obtained in specimens of the weld metal, are presented, as well as threshold data, both obtained for R= 0 and 0.5. The influence of stress ratio is discussed, and the FCGR results are compared with data for low carbon structural steels. S–N data were obtained in the joints, both for R= 0.05 and 0.5, and the fatigue cracking mechanisms were analysed in detail with the SEM. It was found that the cracks propagated very early in the lifetime of the joints, under mixed mode conditions (I + II), but the mode I component was found to be predominant over mode II. The geometries of the cracks were defined in detail from measurements taken in the fracture surfaces. A 2D FE analysis was carried out for the mixed mode inclined cracks obtained at the weld root, and the J‐integral formulations were obtained as a function of crack length and crack propagation angle. The values of the crack propagation angle, θ_i, were obtained for the J_max conditions, and it was found that, in the fatigue tests, the cracks propagated in directions very close to the predicted directions of maximum J. K_I and K_II formulations were obtained, and the K_I data were compared with the formulations given in the PD6493 (BS7910) document, and some differences were found. A more general formulation for K under mixed mode conditions was derived. The derived K solutions were applied to predict the fatigue lives of the joints under crack propagation, and an extremely good agreement was found with the experimental results obtained in the fatigue tests.     

A multiparameter approach to the prediction of fatigue crack growth in metallic materials

A multiparameter approach is proposed for the characterization of fatigue crack growth in metallic materials. The model assesses the combined effects of identifiable multiple variables that can contribute to fatigue crack growth. Mathematical expressions are presented for the determination of fatigue crack growth rates, d a /d N , as functions of multiple variables, including stress intensity factor range, Δ K , stress ratio, R , crack closure stress intensity factor, K _cl , the maximum stress intensity factor K _max , nominal specimen thickness, t , frequency, Ω , and temperature, T . A generalized empirical methodology is proposed for the estimation of fatigue crack growth rates as a function of these variables. The validity of the methodology is then verified by making appropriate comparisons between predicted and measured fatigue crack growth data obtained from experiments on Ti–6Al–4V. The effects of stress ratio and specimen thickness on fatigue crack growth rates are then rationalized by crack closure considerations. The multiparameter model is also shown to provide a good fit to experimental data obtained for HY-80 steel, Inconel 718 polycrystal and Inconel 718 single crystal. Finally, the implications of the results are discussed for the prediction of fatigue crack growth and fatigue life.     

The fatigue life and plastic deformation character of copper at low temperatures

The fatigue life of polycrystalline copper has been determined in the temperature range 293 K - 12 K in vacuum at constant strain amplitude and the plastic deformation of the samples followed. The fatigue life is found to increase with decreasing temperature down to 100 K, it then decreases as the temperature is further reduced. This behaviour is explained in terms of the change in plastic deformation of the sample with temperature.     

Low-cycle impact fatigue of mild steel and austenitic stainless steel

A study has been made of the low-cycle impact fatigue behaviours of low-carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel including cyclic stress-strain behaviour, cyclic hardening and fatigue life. Similarities and dissimilarities in cyclic deformation and fatigue fracture between low-cycle impact fatigue and ordinary low-cycle fatigue of the materials are discussed. This gives evidence for the presence of a considerable strain rate effect in low-cycle fatigue.     

A simple model for the prediction of the fatigue delamination growth of impacted composite panels

The fatigue behaviour of composite panels that have been subjected to low‐velocity impact was studied. Impacted specimens were tested under compression–compression fatigue. A delamination propagation model based on the derivation of the strain energy release rate was used. The stress distribution around the initially induced delamination was derived analytically. The shape of the delamination was experimentally monitored by c‐scan imaging and is assumed to be an ellipse. The orientation and aspect ratio of the ellipse were used to calculate the corresponding strain energy‐release rates, which were subsequently used to predict the direction of delamination propagation.     

Notable size effects on very high cycle fatigue properties of high-strength steel

Very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) properties were compared between two types of specimens: enlarged specimens and our standard specimens. Fatigue tests were conducted by ultrasonic fatigue testing; the material used was commercial spring steel. All tests ended in internal fracture, with large-size effects observed, i.e., the enlarged specimens showed lower VHCF strength than the standard specimens. Most of the internal fracture origins were oxide-type inclusions that were larger in the enlarged specimens than in the standard specimens, indicating the size effect to be caused by the difference in oxide-type inclusion sizes at the origins of internal fractures. The large-size effect strongly urges the use of large specimens when conducting VHCF tests on high-strength steel. Moreover, the large-size effect implies that fatigue strength cannot in this case be determined using the conventional S-N curve approach, since the S-N curve depends on the specimen size. The evaluation of the VHCF strength thus needs two steps: an estimation of the maximal inclusion size, followed by an estimation of the VHCF strength based on the maximal inclusion size.     

Consideration of influence factors between small‐scale specimens and large components on the fatigue strength of thin‐plated block joints in shipbuilding

Shipbuilding in blocks, as being usual on all larger shipyards, requires that the blocks will finally be welded together manually or semi‐automatically, that is, with butt‐welds in transverse direction that have to withstand relatively high dynamical loads. Modern shipbuilding aims at lightweight construction with thin plates that may have a plate thickness down to 4 mm. Previous investigations showed that manually produced butt‐welds in such thin structures did not reach the calculated fatigue life as required in the rules. Up to the present, this problem has not yet been solved, and it is questioned if all influence factors on the fatigue behaviour of real structures are correctly considered as no damage cases at butt joints that are known yet. In the investigation described here, results from small‐scale specimens tested with cyclic loads will be transferred to large components, considering the effects of recorded pre‐deformations induced by welding as well as measured differences in residual stresses between small‐scale specimens and large components, thus clarifying how far for instance a detrimental stress ratio should be taken into account by the rules for thin plates.