Prediction of very high cycle fatigue failure for high strength steels, based on the inclusion geometrical properties

This article deals with the experimental and predicted fatigue endurance of the high strength steels, European 100C6 (martensitic and bainitic) and the Japanese SUJ2 in the gigacycle regime. Tests were carried out with stress ratio R = −1 in tension–compression condition at room temperature. To attain the high number of cycles required in a reasonable period of time, an ultrasonic test machine working at 20 KHz was used to obtaining 1.7 × 10⁹ cycles in approximately 24 h. The relationship between the geometrical properties of inclusions associated with fatigue failure and the fatigue life of these steels was studied. Thereafter, with basis on a simplified evaluation of the highest stress in the elliptical inclusion for fatigue Mode I, three models to predict the fatigue life for these high strength steels were proposed adjusting non-linear regression curves to the corresponding experimental results.     

低周疲劳过程中弹性模量的损伤特性

加工成圆形横截面光滑试样,采用损伤力学理论,通过轴向不同应变幅控制的低周疲劳试验,研究了10CrNi5MoV高强钢的拉伸卸载模量、压缩卸载模量和循环弹性模量的损伤特性,结果表明:三个弹性模量的损伤特性,依赖于应变幅的大小,应变幅越大,三个模量的损伤均越快;在试样失效之前,三个弹性模量的损伤并无明显变化,只是在试样失效时,各自的损伤变量D才迅速趋向于1。研究结果为10CrNi5MoV高强钢的工程应用提供了参考。     

High temperature fatigue of nickel-base superalloys – A review with special emphasis on deformation modes and oxidation

Low cycle fatigue, high cycle fatigue, fatigue crack propagation and thermo-mechanical fatigue in Ni-base superalloys are reviewed in terms of fundamental deformation mechanisms, environmental effects, and interactions between environment and deformation mode. These factors are related to the chemical composition and underlying microstructure for all currently-used product forms (i.e. powder metallurgy, wrought, conventionally cast and single crystal). The basic principles that are developed are used to show how both intrinsic and extrinsic variables can be manipulated to control fatigue behaviour and as a guide for formulation of engineering life prediction models.     

Low‐cycle fatigue/high‐cycle fatigue interactions in notched Ti‐6Al‐4V*

Combined low‐cycle fatigue/high‐cycle fatigue (LCF/HCF) loadings were investigated for smooth and circumferentially V‐notched cylindrical Ti–6Al–4V fatigue specimens. Smooth specimens were first cycled under LCF loading conditions for a fraction of the previously established fatigue life. The HCF 10⁷ cycle fatigue limit stress after LCF cycling was established using a step loading technique. Specimens with two notch sizes, both having elastic stress concentration factors of K_t = 2.7, were cycled under LCF loading conditions at a nominal stress ratio of R = 0.1. The subsequent 10⁶ cycle HCF fatigue limit stress at both R = 0.1 and 0.8 was determined. The combined loading LCF/HCF fatigue limit stresses for all specimens were compared to the baseline HCF fatigue limit stresses. After LCF cycling and prior to HCF cycling, the notched specimens were heat tinted, and final fracture surfaces examined for cracks formed during the initial LCF loading. Fatigue test results indicate that the LCF loading, applied for 75% of total LCF life for the smooth specimens and 25% for the notched specimens, resulted in only small reductions in the subsequent HCF fatigue limit stress. Under certain loading conditions, plasticity‐induced stress redistribution at the notch root during LCF cycling appears responsible for an observed increase in HCF fatigue limit stress, in terms of net section stress.     

Effect of hydrogen on fatigue crack growth of metals

The present paper shows several important phenomena obtained by investigations of the effect of hydrogen on fatigue crack growth behaviour, including the measurement of the hydrogen content in various materials such as low-carbon, Cr-Mo and stainless steels. Particularly important phenomena are the localization of fatigue slip bands, strain-induced martensite in Types 304, 316 and even 316L, and also strong frequency effects on fatigue crack growth rates. For example, with a decrease in frequency of fatigue loading down to the level of 0.2 Hz, the fatigue crack growth rate of a Cr-Mo steel is accelerated by 10-30 times. The same phenomenon also occurs even in austenitic stainless steels at the frequency of the level of 0.001 Hz. Striation morphology is also influenced by hydrogen. It has been revealed by re-analysing the results of the authors’ separately published reports that this basic hydrogen embrittlement mechanism is essentially the same throughout all the materials, i.e. low-carbon, Cr-Mo and stainless steels. Thus, the coupled effects of hydrogen content, hydrogen diffusion coefficient (for BCC or FCC), load frequency, localization of fatigue slip bands and strain-induced martensite must be always considered in fatigue test and analysis of hydrogen embrittlement.     

A fracture mechanics approach to high cycle fretting fatigue based on the worst case fret concept – II. Experimental evaluation

This is Part II of a series of two papers that describe the development and evaluation of a fracture-mechanics based life-prediction methodology for treating fretting fatigue in structural alloys. In Part I, the development of a life-prediction methodology based on the worst case fret (WCF) concept is presented with parametric calculations to illustrate the capability of the method. In this paper, the results of an experimental program designed to evaluate the applicability of the WCF model to treating high-cycle fretting fatigue in Ti-6Al-4V are described. High-cycle fretting fatigue tests were performed on Ti-6Al-4V at ambient temperature and at 2100 Hz. A flat pad with rounded edges or a cylindrical pad on rectangular specimens was fretted using either single or multiple cyclic load steps. Each load step was conducted for 10⁷cycles before the cyclic load range was increased. This process repeated until fretting fatigue specimen failed. The existence of nonpropagating cracks was identified using metallography and fractography. The experimental results were used to assess the accuracy of the WCF methodology.     

载荷频率对金属及其合金高周疲劳特性的影响

采用超声高频加载方法进行高周疲劳试验时,应考察载荷频率对材料疲劳特性的影响。本文从微观组织结构和外部环境两方面论述了疲劳特性的频率效应,从裂纹扩展率、断口分析等方面回顾和介绍了频率对合金钢、钛合金、铝合金三类常用金属疲劳特性的影响,比较了三者异同。最后展望了高周和超高周疲劳研究的方向和方法及其在工程中的应用。     

Effect of stress ratio on VHCF behavior for a compressor blade titanium alloy

Effect of stress ratio on fatigue properties of a titanium alloy (TC-17) in the high cycle fatigue (HCF) and very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) were investigated by electromagnetic and ultrasonic fatigue testing. The S–N curves at R = −1, 0.1, 0.5 and 0.7 at 110 Hz and 20 kHz were obtained and discussed. The effects of frequency on fatigue strength was also investigated. It was concluded that the fatigue strength with 50% fatigue failure probability at R = 0.1, 0.5 and 0.7 is lower to the Goodman line and shows a bilinear decreasing trend. Cleavage fracture of primary grains in the surface and interior initiation zone were observed. The formation of the facets induced by the basal or prismatic slips of the H.C.P grains decreased the fatigue strength with variation in mean stress.     

A fracture mechanics approach to high cycle fretting fatigue based on the worst case fret concept – I. Model development

An integrated analytical and experimental approach was taken to develop a fracture mechanics-based methodology for predicting the limiting threshold stress of high-cycle fretting fatigue in structural alloys. The contact stress field for two flat surfaces under fretting was analyzed via an integral equation technique. The local fretting stress field of the uncracked body was then utilized to obtain the stress intensity factor of an arbitrarily oriented fatigue crack using a continuum dislocation formulation. The limiting threshold stress ranges for the nonpropagation of fretting fatigue cracks were predicted on the basis that the fretting fatigue cracks are small cracks that exhibit a size-dependent growth threshold and propagate at stress intensity ranges below the large-crack threshold. In part I, the development of the worst-case fret (WCF) model is described. The influence of the limiting high-cycle fatigue (HCF) threshold stress on a variety of fretting fatigue parameters such as bearing pressure, pad geometry, shear stress, mode mixity, and coefficient of friction are elucidated by parametric calculations. In part II, the WCF model is applied to treating HCF of Ti-6Al-4V where model predictions are compared against critical experiments performed on a kilohertz fretting-fatigue rig.