Fatigue lifetime of AZ91 magnesium alloy subjected to cyclic thermal and mechanical loadings

In the present paper, thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) and low cycle fatigue (LCF) or isothermal fatigue (IF) lifetimes of a cast magnesium alloy (the AZ91 alloy) were studied. In addition to a heat treatment process (T6), several rare elements were added to the alloy to improve the material strength in the first step. Then, the cyclic behavior of the AZ91 was investigated. For this objective, strain-controlled tension–compression fatigue tests were carried out. The temperature varied between 50 and 200 °C in the out-of-phase (OP) TMF tests. The constraint factor which was defined as the ratio of the mechanical strain to the thermal strain, was set to 75%, 100% and 125%. For LCF tests, mechanical strain amplitudes of 0.20%, 0.25% and 0.30% were considered at constant temperatures of 25 and 200 °C. Experimental fatigue results showed that the cyclic hardening behavior occurred at the room temperature in the AZ91 alloy. At higher temperatures, this alloy had a brittle fracture. But also, it was not significantly clear that the cyclic hardening or the cyclic softening behavior would be occurred in the material. Then, the high temperature LCF lifetime was more than that at the room temperature. The OP-TMF lifetime was the least value in comparison to that of LCF tests. At the end of this article, two energy-based models were applied to predict the fatigue lifetime of this magnesium alloy.     

Numerical simulations of cyclic behaviors in light alloys under isothermal and thermo-mechanical fatigue loadings

In this article, numerical simulations of cyclic behaviors in light alloys are conducted under isothermal and thermo-mechanical fatigue loadings. For this purpose, an aluminum alloy (A356) which is widely used in cylinder heads and a magnesium alloy (AZ91) which can be applicable in cylinder heads are considered to study their stress–strain hysteresis loops. Two plasticity approaches including the Chaboche’s hardening model and the Nagode’s spring-slider model are applied to simulate cyclic behaviors. To validate obtained results, strain-controlled fatigue tests are performed under low cycle and thermo-mechanical fatigue loadings. Numerical results demonstrate a good agreement with experimental data at the mid-life cycle of fatigue tests in light alloys. Calibrated material constants based on low cycle fatigue tests at various temperatures are applied to models to estimate the thermo-mechanical behavior of light alloys. The reason is to reduce costs and the testing time by performing isothermal fatigue experiments at higher strain rates.     

Cyclic deformation behaviour and fatigue crack propagation in AZ91HP and AM50HP

Abstract

The purpose of the present work was to investigate room temperature cyclic deformation and crack propagation behaviour in the most widely used die casting magnesium alloy AZ91HP with different heat treatments. In addition, examination of the low cycle fatigue properties of solid solution treated alloy AZ91HP-T4 was emphasised in comparison with AM50HP. Obvious cyclic strain hardening was found in low cycle fatigue tests, especially for AZ91HP-T4 at high cyclic strain amplitudes. Nevertheless, it was very difficult to evaluate differences in low cycle fatigue behaviour between die casting alloy AZ91HP-F, artificially aged alloy AZ91HP-T6, solution treated alloy AZ91HP-T4, and AM50HP(-F) because of the scatter of test data. However, it may be concluded that the last two alloys had greater plastic strain components during cyclic deformation, and AZ91HP-T4 exhibited a longer fatigue life than that of AM50HP at the highest strain amplitude. According to results of tests carried out on AZ91HP compact tension (CT) specimens, it was concluded that solution treatment could reduce the fatigue crack propagation rate, and plasticity induced crack closure was considered to have a predominant effect on fatigue crack propagation.     

Stress–strain time-dependent behavior of A356.0 aluminum alloy subjected to cyclic thermal and mechanical loadings

This article presents the cyclic behavior of the A356.0 aluminum alloy under low-cycle fatigue (or isothermal) and thermo-mechanical fatigue loadings. Since the thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) test is time consuming and has high costs in comparison to low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests, the purpose of this research is to use LCF test results to predict the TMF behavior of the material. A time-independent model, considering the combined nonlinear isotropic/kinematic hardening law, was used to predict the TMF behavior of the material. Material constants of this model were calibrated based on room-temperature and high-temperature low-cycle fatigue tests. The nonlinear isotropic/kinematic hardening law could accurately estimate the stress–strain hysteresis loop for the LCF condition; however, for the out-of-phase TMF, the condition could not predict properly the stress value due to the strain rate effect. Therefore, a two-layer visco-plastic model and also the Johnson–Cook law were applied to improve the estimation of the stress–strain hysteresis loop. Related finite element results based on the two-layer visco-plastic model demonstrated a good agreement with experimental TMF data of the A356.0 alloy.     

A new energy‐based isothermal and thermo‐mechanical fatigue lifetime prediction model for aluminium–silicon–magnesium alloy

In this paper, a new fatigue lifetime prediction model is presented for the aluminium–silicon–magnesium alloy, A356.0. This model is based on the plastic strain energy density per cycle including two correction factors in order to consider the effect of the mean stress and the maximum temperature. The thermal term considers creep and oxidation damages in A356.0 alloy. To calibrate the model, isothermal fatigue and out‐of‐phase thermo‐mechanical fatigue (TMF) tests were conducted on the A356.0 alloy. Results showed an improvement in predicting fatigue lifetimes by the present model in comparison with classical theories and also the plastic strain energy density (without any correction factors). Therefore, this model is applicable for TMF, low cycle fatigue (LCF) and both TMF/LCF lifetimes of the A356.0 alloy. Furthermore, this model can be easily used for the estimation of thermo‐mechanical conditions in components such as cylinder heads.     

A study on thermo mechanical fatigue life prediction of Ni-base superalloy

Gas turbine blades are exposed to high-temperature degradation environments due to flames and mechanical loads as a results of high-speed rotation during operation. In addition, blades are exposed to thermo-mechanical fatigue due to frequent start and shutdown. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the lifetime of blade materials.In this study, the TMF life of a Ni-base superalloy applied to gas turbine blade was predicted based on LCF and TMF test results. The LCF tests were conducted under various strain ranges based on gas turbine operating conditions. In addition, IP (in-phase) and OP (out of-phase) TMF tests were conducted under various strain ranges.Finally, a fatigue life prediction model was drawn from the LCF and TMF test results. The correlation between the LCF and TMF test results was also evaluated with respect to fatigue life.     

Thermomechanical Fatigue Behaviour of a Nickel Base Superalloy

The isothermal low cycle fatigue (LCF)and thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) behaviourof a Ni-base superalloy was investigated. Theresults show that temperature plays an importantrole in both LCF and TMF. The alloy shows thelowest LCF fatigue resistance in the intermediatetemperature range (～760℃). For strain-controlledTMF, in-phase (IP) cycling is more damagingthan out-phase (OP) cycling. The high tempera-ture exposure in the TMF cycling influencesthe deformation behaviour at the low temperature.LCF lives at different temperatures, and IPand OP TMF lives are successfully correlatedby using the hysteresis parameter Δσ·Δε_p.     

Effect of Sc addition on low-cycle fatigue properties of extruded Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy

ABSTRACT

The influence of minor Sc addition on the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) properties of hot-extruded Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy with T6 state was investigated through performing the LCF tests at room temperature and air environment. The results indicate that two alloys show cyclic stabilisation, cyclic hardening and cyclic softening during fatigue deformation. The addition of Sc can significantly enhance the cyclic stress amplitude of the alloy. Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr-Sc alloy shows higher fatigue lives at lower strain amplitudes, while has lower fatigue lives at higher strain amplitudes. For the two alloys, the density and movability of dislocations are related to the change of cyclic stress amplitudes. The existence of Al₃(Sc,Zr) phase can inhibit the appearance of cyclic softening phenomenon in the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr-Sc alloy.     

Creep and Low Cycle Fatigue Investigations of Light Aluminium Alloys for Engine Cylinder Heads

Abstract: An influence of the chemical composition, porosity and ageing on mechanical behaviour of light, multifunctional aluminium alloys (AlSi8Cu3 and AlSi7MgCu0.5) subjected to creep and low cycle fatigue (LCF) was investigated. The materials were tested to verify their applicability as the cylinder heads in car engines. During creep tests, a strain response of the materials was observed under a range of the step‐increased stresses and different temperatures. The LCF tests were carried out under strain control in three blocks of 100 cycles each with a constant strain amplitude. The results of creep and LCF tests were analysed with regard to chemical composition, type of porosity and ageing of the materials tested. An influence of porosity on the creep resistance and lifetime was considered. The results of the LCF tests were compared for the materials in the as‐received state and after ageing. An experimental evaluation of cyclic behaviour because of the LCF was carried out to check whether the hardening or softening effects can be observed in the materials. Taking into account the various history of loading, a stress response of the materials was investigated.     

Structural durability of magnesium alloys and components

The fatigue behaviour of the magnesium die cast alloys AZ91, AE42 and AM50 was investigated at constant amplitude and in variable amplitude tests. The ambient conditions of these tests varied between laboratory air at room temperature, at 125 °C and a permanent influence of NaCl‐solution at room temperature. More than 40 test series were analysed in a generalized way to determine standardized slopes of S‐N curves and mean stress sensitivity. The behaviour of the three alloys was investigated also in strain‐controlled cyclic tests at normal and elevated temperature. Based on this substantial data set several variants of methods following both the nominal‐stress concept and the local‐strain approach were applied to determine guidelines to improve the reliability of lifetime estimation of components made of magnesium. The corrosion fatigue behaviour of these magnesium alloys was extensively investigated under rotating bending to clarify the damaging influence of the corrosive load component. Under simultaneous action of corrosion and cyclic mechanical loading several influencing factors have to be considered which attain special importance during the testing of magnesium alloys.     

Experimental study of type 316 stainless steel failure under LCF/TMF loading conditions

A detailed investigation of low cycle fatigue (LCF) and thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) of a 316FR type stainless steel is presented in this paper in order to identify the failure mechanism based on the experimental results and the subsequent metallography of the samples. The LCF–TMF servohydraulic testing with a temperature uniformity of less than ±5 °C within the gauge section of the specimens was employed to conduct the experimental tests. Fully-reversed, strain-controlled isothermal tests were conducted at 650 °C for the strain ranges of Δɛ = ±0.4%, ±0.8%, ±1.0% and ±1.2%. Strain-controlled in-phase (IP) thermo-mechanical fatigue tests were conducted on the same material and the temperature was cycled between 500 °C and 650 °C. Additionally, the creep–fatigue interactions were investigated with the introduction of symmetrical hold time under both LCF–TMF tests. The cyclic behaviour was further studied by performing microstructural investigations using the scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

Influence of elevated temperatures on the cyclic deformation behaviour of the magnesium die-cast alloys AZ91D and MRI 230D

The magnesium alloys AZ91D and MRI 230D were investigated in form of die-cast specimens with a cast skin. The fine-grained microstructure consists of a dendritic magnesium solid solution and interdentritic precipitates. The cyclic deformation behaviour was characterised in stress-controlled load increase tests and constant amplitude tests by means of mechanical stress–strain hysteresis measurements at room temperature and at T = 150 °C. The MRI alloy leads to higher plastic strain amplitudes and nevertheless higher lifetimes for both temperatures. Load increase tests allow a reliable short-time estimation of the endurance limit under both, room and elevated temperatures. With the physically based fatigue life calculation method “PHYBAL” the lifetime of the magnesium alloys can be calculated on the basis of cyclic deformation data determined in one load increase test and two constant amplitude tests in excellent agreement with the conventionally determined S–N curve.     

A comparative study on thermomechanical and low cycle fatigue failures of a single crystal nickel-based superalloy

The cyclic deformation and lifetime behaviors of a single crystal nickel-based superalloy CMSX-4 have been investigated under out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue (OP TMF) and isothermal low cycle fatigue (LCF) conditions. OP TMF life exhibited less than a half of LCF life although smaller inelastic strain range and lower mean stress level during OP TMF were observed compared to those during LCF. During OP TMF cycling, the maximum tensile strain at the minimum temperature was found to accelerate the surface crack initiation and propagation. Additionally, the multiple groups of parallel twin plates near crack provided a preferential path for crack propagation.     

Zur thermischen Ermüdung der Magnesium‐Basislegierung AZ91

Thermal fatigue of magnesium‐base alloy AZ91 Thermal fatigue tests of the magnesium‐base alloy AZ91 were carried out under total strain control and out‐of‐phase‐loading conditions in a temperature range between ‐50°C and +190°C. Specimens produced by a vacuum die casting process were loaded under constant total strain and uniaxial homogeneous stress. To simulate the influence of different mean stresses, experiments were started at different temperature levels, e.g. the lower, mean or upper temperature of the thermal cycle. The thermal fatigue behavior is described by the resulting stress amplitudes, plastic strain amplitudes and mean stresses as a function of the number of thermal loading cycles. Depending on the maximum temperature and the number of loading cycles, cyclic softening as well as cyclic hardening behavior is observed. Due to the complex interaction of deformation, recovery and recrystallization processes and as a consequence of the individual temperature and deformation history, thermal fatigue processes of the material investigated cannot be assessed using results of isothermal experiments alone. The upper temperatures or the resp. temperature amplitudes determine the total fatigue lifetime.     

Thermomechanical fatigue evaluation and life prediction of 316L(N) stainless steel

An attempt has been made to understand the thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) behaviour of a nitrogen-alloyed type 316L austenitic stainless steel under different temperature domains. Smooth, hollow specimens were subjected to in-phase (IP) and out-of-phase (OP) thermal–mechanical cycling in air under a mechanical strain control mode, at a strain rate of 6.4 × 10^?5 s^?1 and a strain amplitude of ±0.4%. For the sake of comparison, total strain controlled low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests were also performed at the peak temperatures of TMF cycling on similar specimens employing the same strain rate and strain amplitude. Life was found to depend on the thermal/mechanical phasing and temperature. Creep was found to contribute to life reduction in IP tests when the peak temperature of cycling was above 600 °C. A few TMF tests were performed in vacuum in order to assess environmental influence on life. Thermomechanical fatigue cycling led to the development of significant amounts of mean stresses and the stress response was generally higher compared to that of LCF tests at the peak cyclic temperatures. Also, the isothermal tests at the peak temperature of TMF cycling resulted in lower lives compared to those obtained under TMF. An attempt was made to predict the TMF life using the isothermal database and satisfactory predictions were achieved using the Ostergren’s frequency modified damage function (FMDF) approach.     

Experimental and numerical characterization of low cycle fatigue and creep fatigue behaviour of P92 steel welded joint

Low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep fatigue interaction (CFI) behaviour of P92 steel welded joint were investigated experimentally and numerically. Strain‐controlled LCF tests at different strain amplitudes and CFI tests at different peak strain holding time were conducted. Evolutions of cyclic stress response, mean stress, and creep strain during cycling were described, in which the influence of strain amplitude and holding time were investigated. A specific heat treatment process was proposed to get the homogenous simulated material of fine grain region and coarse grain region in the heat affected zone. Material parameters of parent material, fine grain heat affected zone, coarse grain heat affected zone, and weld metal in the unified viscoplasticity model were then determined and validated. To predict the LCF and CFI behaviour of welded joint, 3‐dimensional unified viscoplasticity model with a modified isotropic variable was compiled into ABAQUS UMAT. The comparison between the predicted and experimental result under LCF and CFI loadings showed that the simulation results were reasonable and agreed with the experimental data well.     

TMF–LCF life assessment of a Lost Foam Casting A319 aluminum alloy

The LFC (Lost Foam Casting) process affects the microstructure, the mechanical properties, the damage mechanisms and the fatigue failure of the materials. The first purpose of this paper is to study the cyclic mechanical behaviors, damage and lifetime of the A319 aluminum alloy manufactured by the LFC process used in the automotive industry under TMF (Thermo-Mechanical Fatigue) and LCF (Low Cycle Fatigue) conditions. A second objective is to select an effective fatigue criterion which should be easy to apply for the design of structures submitted to complex multiaxial thermo-mechanical loadings. In this way, several energy-based criteria are used to predict fatigue failure. Good agreement between predicted fatigue lifetimes and experimental results was obtained for different TMF and LCF loading conditions.     

Thermo-mechanical fatigue testing of a rhenium-free single-crystalline super alloy

Abstract

Due to high temperatures and mechanical loads, cracks are initiated in aero engine turbine blades which limit the cyclic life of these components. The materials used for components which underlie high thermal and mechanical load are single crystalline (SX) nickel based super alloys that in most cases contain a certain amount of rhenium. Dramatically increasing Re prices lead to the development of Re-free alloys.

In this work, low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) tests were carried out on the Re-free single crystal M-247LC SX. The test results are shown and a model based on crack propagation was used to predict LCF and TMF life. It was shown, that the modeling results fit properly for out-of-phase TMF and LCF life while for in-phase TMF differences between calculated life and experiments occur due to a different mechanism of fracture.     

Experimental and numerical evaluations of stress relaxation in A356 aluminium alloy subjected to out-of-phase thermomechanical cyclic loadings

Abstract

In this study, the stress relaxation has been measured experimentally and has been also calculated numerically by the finite element method in the A356·0 aluminium–silicon–magnesium alloy, under out-of-phase thermomechanical cyclic loadings. To get this objective, strain based thermomechanical fatigue tests were performed on cylindrical specimens, at an out-of-phase condition. In this loading condition, when the temperature was maximum, the mechanical strain was compressive and vice versa. These fatigue experiments were repeated at various dwell times, in which the temperature was held at the maximum temperature. This hold time was considered as 5, 30, 60 and 180 s and then the stress relaxation was measured during the mid-life cycle of each test. Besides, the finite element analysis was also conducted on the material to simulate the stress relaxation numerically. A two-layer visco-plastic model was applied to simulate the high temperature cyclic behavior of the material. Finite element results showed a good agreement with experimental results, which were obtained from thermomechanical fatigue tests on the A356·0 aluminium alloy. The two-layer visco-plastic model could properly predict the stress relaxation at elevated temperatures, during various dwell times.