Impact of slide diamond burnishing additional parameters on fatigue behaviour of 2024‐T3 Al alloy

One of the methods for increasing fatigue life of symmetric rotary metal components is slide diamond burnishing (SDB). This method is implemented on conventional and computer numerical control machine tools by means of simple equipment, which is its main advantage. The SDB basic parameters are diamond insert radius, burnishing force, feed rate, and burnishing velocity. The additional ones are number of passes, working scheme, and lubrication conditions. The effect of SDB additional parameters on the fatigue behaviour of 2024‐T3 Al alloy was experimentally studied. Groups of smooth and notched hourglass‐shaped specimens were slide burnished using different combinations of additional SDB parameters and then were subjected to bending fatigue tests. The residual stresses, introduced by SDB, were measured by X‐ray diffraction technique. The near‐surface microstructure of the slide‐burnished specimens was investigated. Based on the results obtained, it was established that SDB produces two main effects, which depend on SDB additional parameters. The essence of the macroeffect is creation of residual compressive stresses in the superficial and subsurface layers. This stresses retard the formation and growth of fatigue macrocracks and thus increase the lifetime of slide‐burnished components. The microeffect is expressed in modifying the microstructure of the surface and subsurface layers, correspondingly, refining the grain and homogenizing and reducing the pores in the material. Such microstructure is characterized by increased plasticity and fatigue crack resistance. The fatigue life depends on the combination of these two effects. Thus, the desired fatigue behaviour of the slide‐burnished component can be ensured through an appropriate selection of the governing additional SDB parameters.     

表面超声滚压处理对高速列车车轴钢疲劳性能的影响

对EA4T型高速列车车轴钢棒状旋转弯曲疲劳试样实验段磨削加工后进行了表面超声滚压处理。观察了处理前后试样的表面形貌及表层微观组织,测量了处理前后试样的表面粗糙度、表层硬度及表层残余应力。利用旋转弯曲疲劳实验得到处理前后试样的疲劳极限。结果表明:表面超声滚压处理后,试样的疲劳极限由352MPa提高到401MPa。疲劳极限的提高主要由于表面超声滚压处理后试样表面粗糙度降低、表层强度及残余压应力增加。     

Numerical simulation of fatigue crack propagation in compressive residual stress fields of notched round bars

In this paper, the influence of the residual compressive stresses induced by roller burnishing on fatigue crack propagation in the fillet of notched round bar is investigated. A 3D finite element simulation model of rolling has allowed to introduce a residual stress profile as an initial condition. After the rolling process, fatigue loading has been applied to three‐point bending specimens in which an initial crack has been introduced. A numerical predictive method of crack propagation in roller burnished specimens has also been implemented. It is based on a step‐by‐step process of stress intensity factor calculations by elastic finite element analyses. These stress intensity factor results are combined with the Paris law to estimate the fatigue crack growth rate. In the case of roller burnished specimens, a numerical modification concerning experimental crack closure has to be considered. This method is applied to three specimens: without roller burnishing, and with two levels of roller burnishing (type A and type B). In all these cases, the computational finite element predictions of fatigue crack growth rate agree well with the experimental measurements. The developed model can be easily extended to crankshafts in real operating conditions.     

Fretting fatigue behaviour of hard anodizing coated 2014‐T6 aluminium alloy with dissimilar mating materials under plane bending loading

The effect of hard anodizing coated 2014‐T6 aluminium alloy test samples with dissimilar mating materials on fretting fatigue was investigated. Fretting fatigue configuration involved bridge‐type pads on the flat specimen. Bridge‐type pads were made of AISI 4140 steel. All the fretting fatigue tests were conducted under plane bending loading with a stress ratio of R=?1. Coated and uncoated specimens were compared for microhardness, surface roughness, tangential force. The specimens were tested under both plain fatigue and fretting fatigue loading at ambient temperature. Micrographs obtained from scanning electron microscope showed that hard anodizing coating had tiny cracks through the thickness of the anodized layer. The hardness of hard anodized coating was higher than that of uncoated specimens and they also exhibited lower tangential force. However, the fretted region of the hard anodizing coated specimens was rougher than that of uncoated samples and despite lower tangential forces, fatigue lives of hard anodizing coated samples were inferior to those of uncoated samples. As the hard anodizing coating had pre‐existing tiny cracks and tension residual stress, cracks propagated from the hard anodizing coating through the interface into the substrate. We conclude that these may be the main reasons for inferior fretting fatigue lives compared with uncoated samples.     

Development and validation of a probabilistic model for notch fatigue strength prediction of tool steels based on surface defects

A new model for the high cycle notch fatigue strength prediction of tool steels subjected to axial loading is proposed, based on previous literatures studies and experimental tests carried out on six different tool steels, including rotating bending fatigue tests on notched specimens, fractographic analyses, hardness, residual stress, and roughness measurements. The novelty is the assumption that surface defects are the main cause of notch fatigue failures of such steels. A probabilistic approach was implemented by modeling size distributions of defects, resulting in the prediction of normal distributions of fatigue strength. Like to other previous models, the effect of steel hardness, surface residual stress, notch severity, and specimen size was also taken into account. Model calibration and validation were performed using the data collected by the experimental activity. Model behavior was investigated by performing a sensitivity analysis, aiming to verify the response to variations of the considered input variables. Prediction errors of only 1.3% (on average) and 3.1% (maximum) resulted from the comparison between model-predicted and experimental notch fatigue strength.     

A comparison of uniaxial and rotating bending fatigue tests on an acetal co-polymer

Using the same type of injection moulded specimen, uniaxial and rotating bending fatigue tests have been carried out and the results compared. In each type of testing conventional fatigue or thermal softening failures occurred depending on the loading conditions. Much higher cyclic frequencies could be used in rotating bending without causing thermal softening failure. Injection moulding produces a skin at the surface of the specimens which is more resistant to fatigue crack initiation than the internal structure. Since the maximum stress in bending is at the surface, the skin effect contributes to the much larger fatigue endurances observed in rotating bending. A sharp V-notch, a diametral hole or a moulded weld line in the specimens reduced endurances in both types of fatigue loading to various extents.     

Influence of residual stresses from shot peening on fretting fatigue crack growth

One method to improve fretting fatigue life is to shot peen the contact surfaces. Experimental fretting life results from specimens in a Titanium alloy with and without shot peened surfaces were evaluated numerically. The residual stresses were measured at different depths below the fretting scar and compared to the corresponding residual stress profile of an unfretted surface. Thus, the amount of stress relaxation during fretting tests was estimated. Elastic–plastic finite element computations showed that stress relaxation was locally more significant than that captured in the measurements. Three different numerical fatigue crack growth models were compared. The best agreement between experimental and numerical fatigue lives for both peened and unpeened specimens was achieved with a parametric fatigue growth procedure that took into consideration the growth behaviour along the whole front of a semi‐elliptical surface crack. Furthermore, the improved fretting fatigue life from shot peening was explained by slower crack growth rates in the shallow surface layer with compressive residual stresses from shot peening. The successful life analyses hinged on three important issues: an accurate residual stress profile, a sufficiently small start crack and a valid crack growth model.     

Durability assessment via residual strength and viscoelastic observations on filled rubber compounds

Because rubber compounds are widely used under cyclic loading conditions, such as tire applications, their fatigue behaviour has been studied for a long time. Two main stages are commonly considered in studying rubber fatigue: crack nucleation and crack growth. Not many studies exist on the residual strength of rubber subsequent to fatigue loading. In this study, the residual strength method is used to model fatigue behaviour of carbon black‐filled and silica‐filled styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) compounds. Samples are subjected to repeated fatigue loading (ie, nonzero mean stress) using different strain amplitudes and then subjected to uniaxial constant crosshead rate, relaxation, and creep tests to assess their residual strength and viscoelastic behaviours respectively. The residual strength results are compared with typical S‐N curves. Initial relaxation rates, initial creep rates, asymptotic relaxation values, and secondary creep rates are plotted as functions of fatigue cycle number to understand the viscoelastic behaviours of carbon black and silica‐filled SBR compounds as affected by fatigue processes.     

Crack growth rates and microstructure feature of initiation region for very‐high‐cycle fatigue of a high‐strength steel

The S‐N data up to very‐high‐cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime for a high‐strength steel were obtained by fatigue tests under constant amplitude and variable amplitude (VA) via rotating bending and electromagnetic resonance cycling. Crack initiation for VHCF was from the interior of specimens, and the initiation region was carefully examined by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Crack growth traces in the initiation region of fine‐granular‐area (FGA) were the first time captured for the specimens under VA cycling by rotating bending. The obtained crack growth rates in FGA were upwards to connect well with those in fish‐eye region available in the literature and were associated well with the calculated equivalent crack growth rates in FGA. The observations of profile samples revealed that FGA is a nanograin layer for the specimens under VA cycling, which is a new evidence to support the previously proposed “numerous cyclic pressing” model.     

Axial fatigue of a gas-nitrided quenched and tempered AISI 4140 steel: effect of nitriding depth

Fatigue testing under fully reversed axial loading (R=?1) and zero‐to‐tension axial loading (R= 0) was carried out on AISI 4140 gas‐nitrided smooth specimens. Three different treatment durations were investigated in order to assess the effect of nitriding depth on fatigue strength in high cycle fatigue. Complete specimens characterization, i.e., hardness and residual stresses profiles (including measurement of stabilized residual stresses) as well as metallographic and fractographic observations, was achieved to analyse fatigue behaviour. Fatigue of the nitrided steel is a competition between a surface crack growing in a compressive residual stress field and an internal crack or ‘fish‐eye’ crack growing in vacuum. Fatigue life increases with nitriding depth until surface cracking is slow enough for failure to occur from an internal crack. Unlike bending, in axial fatigue ‘fish‐eye’ cracks can initiate anywhere in the core volume under uniform stress. In these conditions, axial fatigue performance is lower than that obtained under bending and nitriding depth may have no more influence. In order to interpret the results, special attention was given to the effects of compressive residual stresses on the surface short crack growth (closure effect) as well as the effects of internal defect size on internal fatigue lives. A superimposed tensile mean stress reduces the internal fatigue strength of nitrided steel more than the surface fatigue strength of the base metal. Both cracking mechanisms are not equally sensitive to mean stress.     

The effect of PVD coatings on the tensile strength and low‐cycle fatigue resistance of stainless steel and titanium alloys

PVD coatings applied to components form hard, stronger layers and generate high residual compressive stresses that limit the plastic deformation in surface layers of the base metal thus increasing its tensile strength and resistance to fatigue loading. The purpose of this paper is to experimentally determine the influence of the deposition of 2 to 16.5‐μm‐thick PVD coatings of TiN, Cr, (Cr+TiN), (TiC)N, (TiAl)N onto specimens of stainless steel 321 and titanium alloys of types MILT‐81556A and (10‐2‐3; 4966) on their tensile strength and low‐cycle fatigue resistance when the development of large elastic–plastic strains takes place. The tensile and low‐cycle fatigue tests were conducted under conditions of axial zero‐to‐tension cycle of the stress‐controlled loading on flat 1‐ to 1.5‐mm‐thick specimens in the initial state (uncoated specimens) and after application of a PVD coating, including those after pretensioning or after cyclic prestraining in the low‐cycle fatigue range. The deposition of PVD coatings is found to enhance the characteristics of tensile strength and low‐cycle fatigue resistance in the quasi‐static fracture range. The deposition of PVD coatings on specimens cyclically prestrained to the values of 53–86% of the number of cycles to fracture, changes the cyclic properties of the material and predetermines the fatigue fracture mode only.     

Fatigue behaviour of tubular AlMgSi welded specimens subjected to bending–torsion loading

This paper is concerned with an experimental and numerical study of the fatigue behaviour of tubular AlMgSi welded specimens subjected to biaxial loading. In‐phase torsion–bending fatigue tests under constant amplitude loading were performed in a standard servo‐hydraulic machine with a suitable gripping system. Some tests in pure rotating bending with and without steady torsion were also performed. The influence of stress ratio R and bending–torsion stress ratio were analysed. Correlation of the fatigue lives was done using the distortion energy hypothesis (DEH), based on the local stresses and strains. The applicability of the local strain approach method to the prediction of the fatigue life of the welded tubular specimens was also investigated. Static torsion has only a slight detrimental influence on fatigue strength. The DEH (von Mises criterion) based on local stresses in the weld toes was shown to satisfactorily correlate fatigue lives for in‐phase multiaxial stress–strain states. The stress–strain field intensity predictions were shown to have less scatter and are in better agreement with the experimental results than the equivalent strain energy density approach.     

Influence of inclusion size on S-N curve characteristics of high-strength steels in the giga-cycle fatigue regime

Fatigue fracture of high-strength steels often occurs from small defect on the surface of a material or from non-metallic inclusion in the subsurface zone of a material. Under rotating bending loading, the S-N curve of high-strength steels consists of two curves corresponding to surface defect-induced fracture and internal inclusion-induced fracture. The surface defect-induced fracture occurs at high stress amplitude levels and low cycles. However, the subsurface inclusion-induced fracture occurs at low stress amplitude levels and high-cycle region of more than 10⁶ cycles (giga-cycle fatigue life). There is a definite stress range in the S-N curve obtained from the rotating bending, where the crack initiation site changes from surface to subsurface, giving a stepwise S-N curve or a duplex S-N curve. On the other hand, under cyclic axial loading, the S-N curve of high-strength steels displays a continuous decline and surface defect-induced or internal inclusion-induced fracture occur in the whole range of amplitudes. In this paper, influence factors on S-N curve characteristics of high-strength steels, including size of inclusions and the stress gradient of bending fatigue, were investigated for rotating bending and cyclic axial loading in the giga-cycle fatigue regime. Then, based on the estimated subsurface crack growth rate from the S-N data, effect of inclusion size on the dispersion of fatigue life was explained, and it was clarified that the shape of S-N curve for subsurface inclusion-induced fracture depends on the inclusion size.     

Fatigue crack growth of a welded tube–flange connection under bending and torsional loading

In this contribution the results of an experimental investigation into the fatigue crack growth of welded tube-to-plate specimens of steel StE 460 under bending, torsion, and combined in-phase and out-of-phase bending/torsion loading are presented. The tests were performed at stress ratios of R = −1 and R = 0. The residual stresses were reduced by thermal stress relief. The fatigue crack development is compared with the prediction on the crack growth rates of Paris. Individual stress intensity factors for the semielliptical surface cracks in the tube-flange specimens are approximated on a weight function analogy using the published solutions of other workers.     

Micromechanical interactions in a superduplex stainless steel subjected to low cycle fatigue loading

Micromechanical interactions in an austenitic‐ferritic SAF 2507 steel under lowcycle fatigue loading was studied by experiment and simulation. Neutron diffraction measurements of residual lattice strains were made on specimens unloaded from different cyclic deformation stages, namely cyclic hardening, softening and saturation. With self‐consistent modelling, the micromechanical behaviour of the constituent phases was studied for the first loading cycle. The evolution of the residual lattice strain distributions with cyclic loading and the development of phase stresses have been analysed with respect to the initial residual stress field and the different mechanical properties of the constituent phases.     

Monotonic and Cyclic Deformations of Case‐Hardened Steels Including Residual Stress Effects

Abstract: Monotonic and cyclic deformations of case‐hardened steel specimens under axial loading were investigated experimentally and analytically. A finite element (FE) model for the case‐hardened specimens was constructed to study multiaxial stresses due to different plastic flow behaviour between the case and the core, as well as to evaluate residual stress relaxation and redistribution subsequent to cyclic loading. The multiaxial stress is shown to increase the effective stress on the surface, and, therefore, unfavourable to yielding or fatigue crack nucleation. The residual stresses are shown to relax or redistribute, even in the elastic‐behaving region, when any part of a case‐hardened specimen or component undergoes plastic deformation. Multi‐layer models were used to analyse and predict monotonic and cyclic deformation behaviours of the case‐hardened specimen based on the core and case material properties, and the results are compared with the experimental as well as FE model results. The predicted monotonic stress–strain curves were close to the experimental curves, but the predicted cyclic stress–strain curves were higher than the experimental curves.     

Experimental results in fretting fatigue with shot and laser peened Al 7075-T651 specimens

This work focuses on determining the effect of shot and laser peening on fretting fatigue in the Al 7075-T651 alloy. These surface treatments generate a residual compressive stress field near the treated surface where contact under fretting fatigue produces high stress levels. The fretting fatigue resistance of shot and laser peened specimens was assessed in a series of tests involving measurements of the residual stress field, residual stress relaxation under the action of cyclic loads, the friction coefficient, surface roughness and material hardness. The obtained results are compared with those for untreated specimens. The tests show the beneficial effect of the compressive residual stresses and the improvement that surface roughness causes in fretting fatigue life, especially in shot peened specimens. Another important effect observed, is the partial residual stress relaxation produced during the fretting fatigue tests.     

关于残余应力的静载松弛与最佳喷丸残余应力场的研究

本文研究了喷丸残余应力场在疲劳加载初期的静载松弛现象及机理,并对最佳喷丸残余应力场进行了探讨。试验结界表明,残余应力在疲劳过程中的静载松弛是工件表层材料剧烈塑性变形的结果。残余应力的静载松弛会使晶界、相界等障碍物处形成一定数量的微裂纹,给工作表层材料带来损伤,降低疲劳裂纹的形核寿命。为了避免疲劳初期由于残余应力的静载松弛所造成的损伤,在喷丸后采用应力松弛低温回火工艺,预先降低残余应力场中的最大残余压应力值,建立最佳残余应力场。这种通过热激活的方式使残余应力发生的松弛属子非损伤性松弛,因而能够有效地提高材料在S—N曲线上的较高交变应力区的疲劳寿命。     

Very high cycle fatigue of VDSiCr spring steel under torsional and axial loading

Very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) properties of VDSiCr spring steel are investigated with ultrasonic equipment under fully reversed cyclic torsion loading and under cyclic axial loading at load ratios R = –1, R = 0.1 and R = 0.5. Shot‐peened specimens with surface finish similar to valve springs in combustion engines are tested until limiting lifetimes of 10¹⁰ cycles. Under cyclic torsion loading, specimens either fail below 10⁶ cycles with crack initiation at the surface or they do not fail. Under cyclic axial loading, failures above 10⁹ cycles were found for all load ratios with crack initiation at the surface or at internal inclusions. Ratio of mean endurance limit (50% failure probability at 10¹⁰ cycles) under fully reversed cyclic torsion and cyclic tension‐compression loading is 0.86. Cyclic torsion loading slightly below the endurance limit leads to cyclic softening first followed by cyclic hardening whereas cyclic stability is found for tension‐compression loading. Cyclic torsion reduces surface compression stresses whereas they are hardly affected by cyclic tension‐compression loading. Mean endurance limit at 10¹⁰ cycles for R = 0.1 is 61% of the endurance stress amplitude at load ratio R = –1, and for R = 0.5 it is 44% of the tension‐compression endurance limit. Endurance limits for cyclic torsion and cyclic tension‐compression loading are comparable, if effective stress amplitude is used that considers cyclic normal stresses and residual compression stresses at the surface.     

Assessment of low cycle fatigue improvement of machined AISI 316 stainless steel by brush hammering

The effects of wire brush hammering on low cycle fatigue behaviour of AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel has been investigated on turned samples through an experimental study combining strain controlled fatigue tests, scanning electron microscope examination and X‐ray diffraction analysis. An increase in fatigue life by 266% was reported at an imposed strain amplitude of Δε_t/2 = 0.2%. This improvement is limited to Δε_t/2 ≤ 0.5%. It is found that wire brush hammering produces a surface texture that favours, under cyclic loading, nucleation of randomly dispersed short cracks of the order of 50 µm in length stabilized by a compressive residual stress field. In contrast, turned surface showed much longer unstable cracks of the order of 200 µm in length nucleated in the machining groves and propagated under the effect of a tensile residual stress field. It has also been established that wire brush hammering can be used as intermittent treatment to improve the residual fatigue life of components subjected to cyclic loading. The treatment is very efficient if it is performed at a fraction of service lifetime n_i/N_r lower than 0.5.