Mechanics and micromechanisms of fatigue crack growth in brittle solids

This paper is concerned with the mechanics and micromechanisms of stable mode I crack growth in brittle solids subjected to compression-compression fatigue and tension-tension fatigue loads. Constitutive models, results of finite element analyses, and experimental observations are described for monolithic ceramics and ceramic-matrix composites, plain concrete, and a transformation-toughened ceramic in an attempt to deduce a general theory on the origin of mode I fracture in notched plates under uniaxial cyclic compression at room temperature. An analysis of the residual stress field which develops at elevated temperatures in response to power law creep and far-field compressive cyclic loads is also presented. The principal driving force for mode I fracture in cyclic compression is the generation of a near-tip zone of residual tension, when the deformation at the notch-tip leaves permanent strains upon unloading from the far-field compressive stress. The results indicated that materials with very different microscopic deformation mechanisms, i.e., microcracking, dislocation plasticity, martensitic transformation, interfacial debonding/slip, or creep, exhibit a macroscopically similar, stable fracture under far-field cyclic compression because the zone of residual tension is embedded in material which is elastically strained in compression. It is shown that cyclic compression loading offers a unique method for fatigue precracking notched specimens of brittle solids prior to tensile fracture testing, whereby an unambiguous interpretation of the critical stress intensity factors for crack initiation and growth can be achieved. Fatigue crack growth characteristics of a transformation-toughened ceramic and a creeping ceramic composite under tension-tension fatigue loads are also discussed.     

Fatigue crack growth in polymers subjected to fully compressive cyclic loads

It is experimentally demonstrated in this work that the application of cyclic compression loads to polymeric materials, specifically high-density polyethylene and polystyrene, results in the nucleation and propagation of stable fatigue cracks. The cracks grow at a progressively slower rate along the plane of the notch in a direction perpendicular to the far-field cyclic compression axis. The overall characteristics of this compression fatigue fracture are macroscopically similar to those seen in metals, ceramics, as well as discontinuously reinforced inorganic composites. It is reasoned that the origin of this Mode I compression fatigue effect is the generation of a zone of residual tensile stress locally in the vicinity of the notch-tip upon unloading from the maximum far-field compressive stress. The residual tensile field is generated by permanent damage arising from crazing and/or shear deformation ahead of the notch-tip. Evidence for the inducement of residual tensile stresses on the crack plane is provided with the aid of micrographs of near-tip region where crazes are observed along the plane of the crack, i.e. normal to the compression loading axis. Compression fatigue crack growth in polystyrene is also highly discontinuous in the sense that the crack remains dormant during thousands of fatigue cycles following which there is a burst of crack extension, possibly in association with fracture within the craze. This intermittent growth process in cyclic compression is analogous to the formation of discontinuous growth bands during the tension fatigue of many crazeable polymers. The exhaustion of the near-tip residual tensile field and the increase in the level of crack closure with increasing crack length cause the fatigue crack to arrest. The universal features of this phenomenon are discussed in the context of ductile and brittle, non-crystalline and crystalline, as well as monolithic and composite materials.     

陶瓷基复合材料（SiCw／Y—TZP）在循环压应力下的疲劳裂纹扩展

研究了碳化硅晶须（ＳｉＣｗ）增强，Ｙ２Ｏ３稳定的ＺｒＯ２四方多晶体（Ｙ－ＴＺＰ）复合材料（ＳｉＣｗ／Ｙ－ＴＺＰ）在循环压应力作用下的疲劳特性，单边缺口弯曲试样在纵向循环压应力作用下缺口根部产生垂直于压应力的Ｉ型裂纹，类似于金属材料，在室温下循环应力导致Ｉ型裂纹的稳定扩展。压应力在缺口根部产生的不可逆损伤区在循环卸载过程中形成较大的残余拉伸应力场，使裂纹萌生并长大，同时，裂纹面产生的碎粒及晶须拔出导     

Fracture toughness measurements in ceramics: Pre-cracking in cyclic compression

Experimental observations of stable Mode I fatigue crack growth at room temperature in notched plates of brittle solids subjected to fully compressive far-field cyclic loads have recently been reported. !n this paper, we outline an experimental procedure whereby the fracture toughness and R-curves for ceramics can be determined in bending (or tension) after pre-cracking notched specimens in uniaxial cyclic compression to produce a controlled and through -thickness fatigue flaw. The capability of this technique to provide reproducible fracture toughness values in illustrated with the aid of experimental results obtained for coarse-grained and fine-grained aluminium oxide.     

Crack initiation in cyclic compression and its applications

The characteristics and applications of crack initiation under far-field cyclic compressive loads are examined in notched specimens of a lower strength steel. The fatigue cracks, initiated at the notch root due to residual tensile stresses, grow at a progressively decreasing velocity before arresting completely. Simple correlations are explored between the total fatigue crack growth distance and the size of an effective damage zone estimated from the initial crack growth rate. Some important applications of crack initiation in cyclic compression in both long and short fatigue crack problems are demonstrated. Experimental results are presented to show that crack initiation in cyclic compression offers some interesting possibilities for obtaining accelerated estimates of slow fatigue crack growth rates, while minimizing some of the inherent uncertainties arising from the artifacts of conventional test techniques. Possible applications of this method are also discussed with respect to the study of physically-short flaws and of the evaluation of the progressive development closure during fatigue.     

Fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth behaviour of an Al2O3-SiC composite

The fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth characteristics of an Al₂O₃-SiC whisker composite were investigated. Quasi static fracture experiments were conducted on double edge-notched tension specimens and on four-point bend specimens containing a through-thickness Mode I crack which was introduced under uniaxial cyclic compression. The toughness results obtained using this procedure are more reproducible than those derived from the indentation technique and the notched bend bar method. The fracture toughness of the composite is about 60% higher than that of the unreinforced matrix material. Crack growth characteristics at room temperature were also investigated in notched plates of Al₂O₃-SiC subjected to fully compressive far-field cyclic loads. In the presence of a stress concentrator, this composite is found to be highly susceptible to fatigue crack growth under cyclic compressive loads.     

Fatigue crack growth testing at negative stress ratios: discussion on the comparability of testing results

It is an accepted fact in fatigue community that compressive loads contribute to fatigue crack growth. Evidences range from fatigue crack growth under fully compressive loads to effects of compressive underloads to negative stress ratio loading. Because the crack closes under compression and the crack flanks transmit compressive stresses, the loading situation is completely different to those of tensile loading. The present paper addresses the comparability of crack growth testing procedures at negative stress ratios. It reveals that compressive loading at the crack tip differs in different specimens for an equal maximum stress intensity factor K_max and negative stress ratio R. Furthermore, the crack length can significantly influence the loading conditions at the crack tip for tension–compression loading. Depending on the specimen type and crack length, a negative force ratio may lead to a change of algebraic sign of the stresses at the crack tip or not. As a consequence, the comparability of available literature results for R ≤ 0 tests is not ensured. Proposals to improve the comparability of tension–compression crack growth testing will be given.     

Mechanical properties of In-Situ Composites

In this paper, author's results of several years of research work on the mechanical properties of directionally solidified (In-Situ) composites are reviewed. Alloy systems investigated were the fibrous Al-Ni, Fe-MnS and the cobalt base superalloy Co-Cr-C and the lamellar Al-Cu and Co-W. The mechanical behavior of the above systems were studied under both static and dynamic loadings. Static loading involved tension, compression and 3-point bending and the dynamic loading involved rotating bending fatigue, fatigue crack propagation and strain controlled fatigue. It was found that the tensile fracture stress and toughness and the ultimate compressive stress were generally enhanced by increasing growth rate and/or temperature gradient. However, at very high growth rates, the properties were found to decrease due to misalignment of the structure. Models were suggested to describe the static behavior of the composites investigated. Good agreement was found between the model predictions and the experimented results which indicate that the static properties are structural sensitive. On the contrary, the fatigue life of the Al-Al₃ Ni was insensitive to structural changes caused by varying the growth rate. The fatigue crack propagation response of the Co-Cr-C composites was found to follow the Paris Erdogan relation. Examination of the fracture surface confirmed a brittle mode of fracture with fiber cleavage and matrix shearing to link up fiber breaks.     

Fatigue behaviour of friction stir welded AA2024‐T3 alloy: longitudinal and transverse crack growth

The fatigue crack growth properties of friction stir welded joints of 2024‐T3 aluminium alloy have been studied under constant load amplitude (increasing‐ΔK), with special emphasis on the residual stress (inverse weight function) effects on longitudinal and transverse crack growth rate predictions (Glinka's method). In general, welded joints were more resistant to longitudinally growing fatigue cracks than the parent material at threshold ΔK values, when beneficial thermal residual stresses decelerated crack growth rate, while the opposite behaviour was observed next to K_C instability, basically due to monotonic fracture modes intercepting fatigue crack growth in weld microstructures. As a result, fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) predictions were conservative at lower propagation rates and non‐conservative for faster cracks. Regarding transverse cracks, intense compressive residual stresses rendered welded plates more fatigue resistant than neat parent plate. However, once the crack tip entered the more brittle weld region substantial acceleration of FCGR occurred due to operative monotonic tensile modes of fracture, leading to non‐conservative crack growth rate predictions next to K_C instability. At threshold ΔK values non‐conservative predictions values resulted from residual stress relaxation. Improvements on predicted FCGR values were strongly dependent on how the progressive plastic relaxation of the residual stress field was considered.     

FATIGUE UNDER CYCLIC COMPRESSIVE LOAD

For ultra-high strength steels and aluminium alloys, a fatigue crack could initiate from a notch tip under cyclic compressive load. The threshold value for fatigue crack initiation under compressive load can be as great as four times that under tensile load. The crack grew at a decreasing rate until eventually it stopped growing altogether under cyclic compressive load with a maximum length of 0.2-0.5 mm. If the minimum compressive load was near zero, i.e. compression to zero load cycling, the threshold value was near that under tensile loading and the compressive fatigue crack could continue to grow; however, the crack growth rate under compression to zero load fatigue was 10–100 times less than that under the tensile fatigue loading.     

硅酸铝纤维增强铝基复合材料的疲劳断裂特征

采用压力铸造法, 制得Al₂O₃?SiO₂短纤维增强的铝合金复合材料, 对其弯曲疲劳性能进行了测试, 并详细观察了疲劳裂纹的形成及扩展方式。结果表明: Al₂O₃?SiO₂f/ ZL 108复合材料存在 多种疲劳源; 疲劳裂纹的扩展是通过主裂纹与裂尖前方孔洞的相互联接而进行的, 是不连续的, 沿着纤维及渣球密集的路径扩展; 疲劳过程中主裂纹的形成消耗了大部分的疲劳寿命, 一旦主裂纹形成就快速扩展瞬间断裂。该复合材料的断裂宏观上是脆性的, 但微观上显示出塑性的特征。     

Crack initiation under far-field cyclic compression and the study of short fatigue cracks

A procedure involving crack initiation under far-field cyclic compression is used to study the fatigue behavior of small flaws which are ˜0.3–0.5 mm in length and are amenable to linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) characterization. This technique enables the determination of the threshold stress intensity range at which crack growth begins for small flaws and provides insight into some closure characteristics. Cracks were propagated in notched specimens of a bainitic steel subjected to fully compressive remote cyclic loads, until complete crack arrest occurred after growth over a distance of only a fraction of a mm at a progressively decreasing velocity. Following this, physically small flaws were obtained by machining away the notch. For the loads examined, the results indicate that the extent of damage left at the tip of the crack grown (and arrested) under remote compression is not large enough to affect subsequent tensile fatigue crack growth, when closure effects are not significant (e.g. at high load ratios). At high load ratios, the growth of small linear elastic cracks is identical to that of corresponding long flaws subjected to the same stress intensity range, which corroborates the similitude concept implicit in the nominal use of LEFM. At low load ratios, however, short tensile cracks propagate substantially faster than the longer flaws and exhibit lower threshold stress intensity range levels. Such apparent differences in their growth rates seem to arise, to a large extent, from the differences in their closure behavior, as indicated clearly from various aspects of the compression method. Global measurements of closure, with their inherent uncertainties, however, cannot account completely for the anomalous behavior of short flaws and for the effect of load ratio on short crack growth. Closure of short flaws begins to develop after growth over a minimum distance of about 0.5 mm in this steel. The significance and limitations of the compression technique are discussed and possible mechanisms responsible for the differences between long and short fatigue cracks are outlined.     

Fatigue growth behavior for surface crack in welding joints under combined compressive and bending stresses

It has been demonstrated by experiments that crack can grow under cyclic compressive loading. However, it is difficult to observe and describe accurately by mathematical methods. In addition, cracks may close under compressive loading, which also increases the complexity of the problem. The fatigue growth behavior for surface cracks under biaxial loadings was studied by fatigue tests of HTS-A steel. According to experimental evidences, it is concluded that the transverse compressive stress not only changes the fracture morphology but also affect crack propagation life. Considering the influence of the compressive stress, this paper proposed an equivalent SIF and crack growth model subjected to compressive and bending stresses on the basis of McEvily formula. Finally, comparisons are made between prediction results and experimental data.     

循环压缩载荷下缺口残余拉应力场的X射线分析

用细束 x 射线研究了循环压缩载荷下缺口残余拉应力的分布及变化。试验表明,循环压缩加载后形成的残余拉应力大于一次压缩加载后的数值,压缩应力幅对残余拉应力分布的影响大于压缩平均应力的影响,其原因除了加载-降载过程中形成的残余应力直接与应力幅有关外,尚与应力幅加剧材料循环软化程度有关。形成疲劳裂纹后,在完全卸载的裂纹面上,残余拉应力基本松弛,但垂直于裂纹面稍远处的残余拉应力仍保持有相当大的数值,这部分残余应力是否对裂纹扩展起作用,在计算残余应力的应力强度因子时如何予以考虑值得注意。     

Fatigue crack propagation in aluminum nitride ceramics under cyclic compression

Room temperature fatigue crack growth characteristics under cyclic compressive loads were investigated in pure and 3 wt % yttria doped hot pressed aluminum nitride ceramics. A single edge-notch specimen geometry was used to induce a stable Mode I fatigue crack under cyclic compressive loads. The fatigue crack growth occurred in three stages, where the first stage is dominated by microcrack nucleation, coalescence and slow growth within the notch root. During the second stage, the crack growth is accelerated and finally, the crack growth deceleration and arrest occurred in third stage. The fatigue crack growth occurred predominantly by intergranular fracture. Insights gained from the experimental results and microscopic observations are discussed.     

复合材料裂纹敏感性的评定──(Ⅱ)HTA/6376和T300/M10的Ⅱ型分层扩展行为

应用ENF试验研究了HTA/6376和T300/M10两种碳/环氧复合材料的静态与疲劳层间断裂行为。在静态载荷下,两种材料均呈现脆性不稳定和稳定的裂纹扩展特性。在R=0.1且△G_I大幅度变化的疲劳加载过程中,两种材料呈现稳定的裂纹扩展。采用位移控制方法,确定了裂纹扩展速率与循环应变能释放率的关系和应变能释放率门槛值。与T300/914C相比,HTA/6376和T300/M10具有较高的抗裂纹扩展能力。     

FATIGUE GROWTH OF PHYSICALLY SMALL INCLINED CRACKS

The growth of physically small, self initiated, inclined corner and through-the-width cracks is investigated in a carbon steel under tension fatigue (R= 0.05). A preliminary procedure involving crack initiation under far-field cyclic compression is used. This precracking method is adopted to minimize the effect of residual damage at the tip of the crack grown (and arrested) under cyclic compression. Thus, the subsequent tensile fatigue crack propagates through a region with no (or very small) residual stress or damage. Experiments indicate that the early growth rate of the inclined corner cracks is discontinuous with a few decelerations. During the intermittent propagation period the corner cracks only extend into the thickness (depth) of the specimen and do not propagate along the width direction. However, after reaching a certain aspect ratio, the inclined flaws grow in a steady (continuous) manner in both the thickness and width directions. Through-the-width cracks, both inclined and perpendicular to loading direction, do not show the discontinuous growth pattern typical of the inclined corner cracks, but exhibit only one minimum in the crack growth rate behaviour.     

Lebensdauerberechnung festgewalzter Kerbproben unter Axialbelastung auf der Basis eines Rißfortschrittskonzepts

Axial fatigue life calculation of fillet rolled specimens by means of a crack growth model Fillet rolling is a method which significantly improves the fatigue strength of members. Residual compressive stresses induced in the surface layer during the fillet rolling process are able to retard or prevent crack propagation. An elastic‐plastic on the J‐integral based crack growth model considering the crack opening and closure phenomenon in nonhomogeneous plastic stress fields is described. Experimentally determined crack growth curves and fracture fatigue life curves at constant amplitude loading were used to verify the developed model.     

FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH IN DUCTILE MATERIALS UNDER CYCLIC COMPRESSIVE LOADING

Abstract— Mode I fatigue crack growth has been studied in notched specimens of 7017-T651 aluminium alloy subjected to fully compressive cyclic loads. The specimens were first subjected to a deliberate compressive preload which causes plastic deformation at the notch tip. On unloading, this region developed a residual tensile stress field and on subsequent compressive cyclic loading in laboratory air, a fatigue crack was nucleated at the notch and grew at a diminishing rate until it stopped. The final crack length increased with an increase in the value of the initial compressive preload and with an increase in the negative value of the applied cyclic mean load. To gain a better understanding of crack growth in residual stress fields, the magnitude and extent of residual stress induced from compressive preloads have been analysed. This was achieved when extending the notch by cutting while recording the change in the back face strain. From residual strain models it was found that the fatigue crack growth was confined to a region of tensile cyclic stress within the residual stress field. The effective stress intensity range was investigated at selected mean loads and amplitudes, for correlating purposes, using both the compliance technique and by invoking the crack growth rate behaviour of the alloy. Finally, a brief discussion of the fracture morphology of cracks subjected to cyclic compression is presented.