Specific Features of the Nucleation and Growth of Fatigue Cracks in Steel under Cyclic Dynamic Compression

The processes of the fracture of 40Kh and U8 steels under cyclic dynamic compression are studied. It has been found that the main cause for the fracture of the cyclically compressed specimens is the propagation of cracks due to the effect of residual tensile stresses, which arise near the tips of the cracks at the stage of the unloading of the specimens. The growth rate of a crack has the maximum value at the initial stage of its propagation in the vicinity of the stress concentrator. As the crack propagates deep into the specimen, its growth rate decreases and depends only slightly on the real cross section of the specimen. The model of the process of the fatigue fracture of the steels under dynamic loading by a cyclically varied compressive force is proposed. It has been found that the high fatigue endurance is provided by tempering at 200°C for the 40Kh steel and at 300°C for the U8 steel.