Crack Growth Failure Research Articles

In Situ characterization of Reactive Lithium Metal Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state lithium metal batteries have garnered significant interest in recent years due to the potential for solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) to enable a lithium metal anode by suppressing dendrite growth and eliminating hazardous liquid electrolytes. However, the development of solid-state lithium metal batteries has been limited by numerous challenges that exist at the interface between lithium and SSEs. These issues typically manifest as lithium metal penetration through the electrolyte, void formation at the interface, or interfacial decomposition to form an interphase. Here, we characterize the Li/SSE interfaces between reactive oxide and sulfide SSEs in situ and operando during the cycling of symmetric cells. Using a modified cell geometry with the oxide SSE Li1.4Al0.4Ge1.6(PO4)3 (LAGP), we are able to monitor interphase growth and crack propagation throughout cycling with an optical microscope. Cycling at higher current densities reveals significantly more interphase growth in LAGP, accelerating crack growth and cell failure. Operando synchrotron X-ray tomography of symmetric cells using the sulfide SSE Li10SnP2S12 reveals the dynamic processes of both interphase and void formation at the interface. Segmentation of voids and interphase enables us to quantify the volume of these phases and relate these parameters to changes in electrochemistry. These results demonstrate the importance of interfacial stability from both a chemical and mechanical standpoint.

The propagation mechanism of an oblique straight crack in a rock sample and the effect of osmotic pressure under in-plane biaxial compression

In this paper, the propagation mechanism of an oblique straight crack has been studied theoretically, which reveals its mechanical characteristics under in-plane biaxial compression. Firstly, the stress components away from the boundary are derived based on the superposition principle. The normal stress components are strengthened and shear stress component is restrained compared to the uniaxial condition. Then the relationship between stresses and stress intensity factors is analyzed, and the effect of stresses on the strength of cracked rocks is discussed. The analysis of wing crack growth shows that the reliable experimental results are very demanding for sample preparation. Based on Mohr-Coulomb criterion and Mohr’s stress circles, the failure mechanism of cracked rocks is analyzed, and the physical meaning of some formulas is vividly displayed. Moreover, we study the relationship between friction angle θ0 and angle β, which determines the minimum compressive strength of cracked rocks. There are evidences that the increase of crack opening width leads to β0 (a value of β) away from the theoretical value determined by sliding crack model, so that the role of stress σx can no longer be ignored. Theoretically speaking, for an initially closed crack, we find that, for the first time, both wing crack growth and shear compression failure are more likely to occur when the angle β between 22.5 and 45 degrees combining the statistical results of Barton and Choubey (Rock Mech Rock Eng 10:1–54, 1977). As for an initially open crack, the characteristics of stress intensity factors and circumferential stresses are also discussed, especially when σ1 equals σ3. Finally, we study the effect of osmotic pressure on stresses and stress intensity factors, the weakening of the properties of crack surfaces by water is also considered, and the mechanical behavior of a rock sample with an oblique straight crack changes dramatically.

On the influence of resin pocket area on the failure of tapered sandwich composites

Structural defects such as resin pocket area are inevitably created between surface and core of composite structures during the production of wind turbine blades using vacuum infusion process. In this article, four-point bending tests were performed on tapered sandwich composites to investigate the effect of resin pocket area on the mechanical strength, crack growth path, and failure mode. Specimens were in similar shape to wind turbine blade profiles, and a shear-dominant load was applied to the resin pocket area during the experiments. The extended finite-element method was applied in order to predict crack growth path and failure mode. The average static strength of the specimens including the small size of resin pocket area had almost no change in compare with the specimen with no resin pocket area. Moreover, the medium size of resin pocket area decreased the strength for 3.5% while the large size one enhanced it for 1.75%. Thus, it can be deduced that the defect area does not have a significant effect on the flexural strength of the sandwich composite tapered specimens, but it can arrest the crack. Therefore, the crack propagates in the opposite direction at the interface of the face and core. Although the resin pocket area arrests the crack, it was observed that the size of resin pocket area directly affects the crack growth and its path. The smaller resin pocket area leads to slower crack growth, and early collapse occurs for the larger size of defect area. So, the size of resin pocket area has considerable importance during manufacturing of such structures. Finally, numerical results have shown good agreement with experimental ones.

Mechanics and fracture of structured pillar interfaces

Material architecture and geometry provide an opportunity to alter the fracture response of materials without changing the composition or bonding. Here, concepts for using geometry to enhance fracture resistance are established through experiments and analysis of the fracture of elastic-brittle, polymer specimens with pillar-structures along the fracture plane. Specifically, we investigate the fracture response of double cantilever beam specimens with an array of pillars between the upper and lower beams. In the absence of pillars, unstable crack growth and rapid catastrophic failure occur in the double cantilever specimens tested in displacement control. Introducing pillars at the interface by removing material via laser cutting yields a discontinuous interface and leads to a more gradual fracture process and an increase in the work of fracture. The pillar geometry affects the failure load and, notably, increasing the slenderness of the pillars leads to higher critical failure loads due to greater load sharing. The effect of pillar geometry on fracture is established through experiments and analysis, including analytical modeling and finite element simulations. An analytical model that includes the macro-scale response of the beam and the micro-scale response of the pillars is presented and describes the key effects of pillar geometry on fracture response.

Two-parameter mechanistic model for the fatigue crack growth of metals

In this paper, a two-parameter mechanistic model for the fatigue crack growth has been developed. Fatigue failure is the major causes of mechanical structural failure. The fatigue failure progress in three stages crack initiation, crack growth and final failure. The fatigue crack growth has been modelled by different approaches, however these approaches are generally empirical. In this paper, a mechanistic fatigue crack growth model is proposed. The striation and its relation to the cyclic load is used for the model development. Scanning electronic microscope results are used to establish relation between striation and crack growth. The developed model is two-parameters. The model has been implemented and validated using experimental data from the literature. The model prediction is satisfactory in region II of the crack growth curve. However, in region I and region III the model deviates from experimental data. It is suggested to incorporate interaction of monotonic and cyclic loading in the mechanistic modelling for the fatigue growth.

Analytical approach for low and high cycle bending fatigue life prediction of carburized gear steel specimens

Bending fatigue is one of the most common failure modes in spur gears. In carburized spur gears, subsurface failure initiation is characteristic for the high cycle fatigue regime, which is rather hard to detect and may cause rapid crack growth and complete failure of the tooth. Experimental testing of specimens made of the same material under comparable loading conditions is often used to gain insight into actual fatigue behavior of the component. Furthermore, in the absence of definite fatigue data of the specimens, various methods are used for estimating fatigue parameters. In this paper, analytical model for bending fatigue life prediction of carburized gear steel specimens based on strain-life approach is proposed. Multilayer method and hardness method are used for estimating strain-life fatigue properties. Rule of mixture is employed to find average cyclic stress-strain curves of carburized specimens. An approach for conversion of axial to bending fatigue data by utilizing Neuber’s rule and modifying factors is suggested. Initial validation of the analytical model is carried out against experimental results from the literature of two types of specimens with different carburizing depths. Good correlation between the predicted and experimental data is observed for both types of specimens, with nearly all data points falling within the scatter factor of three.

Reliability model and probability analysis method for pitting corrosion under mechanical loading

PurposeCorrosion is one of the common damage mechanisms in many engineering structures such as marine structures, petroleum pipelines, aerospace and nuclear reactor. However, the service performance of metal materials and structures is gradually degenerating with the increase of service life due to the rapid growth of corrosion damages. Thus, the coupled effects for corrosion damage in reliability analysis should be considered urgently. Then, the purpose of this paper is to develop the corrosion damage physical model and the corresponding reliability analysis methods, which consider the coupled effect of corrosion damage.Design/methodology/approachA failure physical model, considering the coupled effect of pitting growth, crack and crack propagation, is presented in this paper. Sequentially, the corrosion reliability with respect to pitting physical damage can be investigated. The presented pitting damage physical model is formulated as time-variant performance limit state functions, which include the crack transition, crack growth and fracture failure mechanics. The first-passage failure criterion is used to construct the corrosion reliability framework, involving in the pitting damage model with the increase of service life.FindingsResults demonstrate that the multiplicative dimensional reduction (MDR) method behaves much better than FORM no matter in accuracy or efficiency. The proposed corrosion reliability method is applicable for dealing with the damage failure model of the structural pitting corrosion.Originality/valueThe MDR method is used to calculate the corrosion reliability index of a given structure with fewer function calls. Finally, an aeronautical metal material is used to demonstrate the efficiency and precision of the proposed corrosion reliability method when the failure physical model considering the coupled effects of mechanical stresses and corrosion environment is adopted.

Study on the orientation detection of surface cracks by electromagnetic acoustic emission

Crack orientation plays a vital role in structural integrity analysis, which provides quantitative crack growth and structural failure information. Even though many structural health monitoring sys...

Characterizing surface finish and fatigue behavior in binder-jet 3D-printed nickel-based superalloy 625

In this study, the fatigue properties of binder-jet 3D-printed nickel-base superalloy 625 were evaluated. Standard fatigue specimens were printed and sintered, then half of the samples were mechanically ground, while the other half were left in their as-sintered state. They were then characterized using micro-computed x-ray tomography, metallographic sample examination, and optical and stylus profilometry for surface topography. The micro-computed tomography observations showed that density of the as-printed sample was ∼50%, while the sintered sample neared full densification (98.9 ± 0.3%) upon sintering at 1285 °C for 4 h in a vacuum atmosphere. The metallographic examination showed equiaxed grains. The roughness of the as-sintered samples was significant with an RMS roughness of Rq = 1.39 ± 0.20 μm as measured over a line-scan of 5 mm, but this was reduced to Rq = 0.47 ± 0.02 μm after mechanical grinding. All samples were tested to failure in fatigue, under fully-reversed tension-compression conditions. While the as-sintered samples showed poor fatigue properties compared to prior reports on cast and milled parts, the ground samples showed superior performance. Scanning electron microscopy observation was conducted on the fractured surfaces and showed that the samples underwent transgranular crack initiation, followed by intergranular crack growth and final failure. In the mechanically ground sample, hardness increased nearly two-fold up to 75 μm beneath the sample’s surface, and X-ray diffraction indicated an in-plane compressive stress, grain refinement, and micro-strain on the mechanically ground sample. The reduced roughness, surface hardening, and compressive stress resulted in increased fatigue life of the binder-jetted alloy 625.

Monitoring tensile fatigue crack growth and fiber failure around a notch in laminate SIC/SIC composites utilizing acoustic emission, electrical resistance, and digital image correlation

Acoustic emission, electrical resistance, and surface optical techniques were used to monitor matrix cracking and fiber-breakage during fatigue in tension for [0/90]2s SiC-based laminate composite single-notch specimens. Acoustic emission sensors were positioned in several locations including on the edge of the specimen which enabled location of events through the width and the location of internal tunnel-type cracks. Surface optical techniques, including digital image correlation, enabled the extent of surface crack growth. From these two sets of data a simple circuit could be constructed of the different damaged and undamaged regions in the region of the notch that was in good agreement with the change in electrical resistance, thus establishing a correlation with change in ER and damage development. The unique placement of AE sensors on the edge of the specimen also enabled the capture and location of what are believed to be fiber failure events prior to ultimate failure.

Subcritical Crack Growth and Progressive Failure in Carrara Marble Under Wet and Dry Conditions

AbstractOur concept of progressive rock slope failures is on the one hand embedded in aggregated subcritical crack growth mechanisms and on the other sensitive to environmental conditions, especially water. To anticipate failure dynamics in rock slopes, it is a key requirement to reveal the influence of water on subcritical crack growth mechanisms and material properties. We present experimental data on the time‐dependent deformation of an exemplary rock, Carrara marble. We employed inverted single‐edge notch bending creep tests on large Carrara marble samples to mimic an open joint system with controlled water supply. Constant stress was applied in two steps approaching 22–85% of a previously determined critical baseline stress. Introducing calcite‐saturated water to subcritical stressed samples caused an immediate increase in strain by up to an order of magnitude. Time‐dependent accumulation of inelastic damage at the notch tip occurred in wet and dry samples at all load levels. Subcritical crack growth and the evolution of localized intergranular fractures are enhanced if water is present and readily approach tertiary creep when loaded above 80%. The immediate strain response is attributed to the reduction of surface energy and diffusion of the water into the rock. The resultant more compliant and weaker rheology can even turn the subcritical stress into a critical state. Over time, subcritical and chemically enhanced mechanisms progressively alter especially grain boundaries, which become the key controls of progressive failure in Carrara marble.

Theoretical analysis of fatigue failure in mechanically fastened Fibre Metal Laminate joints containing multiple cracks

Mechanically fastened joints are susceptible to the presence of multiple-site damage (MSD) cracks in the critical fastener row. Different from the MSD growth in joints consisting of metallic substrates, the two coupled metal crack growth and interfacial delamination propagation failure mechanisms in Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs) make the prediction of fatigue behaviour in FML joints with MSD scenario burdensome and impractical when considering all factors influencing the fatigue performance. This paper presents a theoretical study on the MSD crack growth behaviour in mechanically fastened FML joints with a focus of modelling the effects of bearing and bypass loads. The proposed model in this paper is built upon analytical models dealing with MSD growth in flat FML panels and single crack growth in FML panels subjected to a combined tension-pin loading case. This model would be particularly useful for symmetric FML joints where no secondary bending effects present. A deliberately designed symmetric FML joint was tested to validate the proposed model. The model captures the rapid crack growth in the vicinity of fastener holes due to bearing stresses and crack acceleration due to the interaction of cracks. It is identified that the load redistribution between intact fastener rows and the cracked fastener row accelerates crack growth with crack length. The effects of secondary bending stresses in FML joints on the crack growth behaviour is extensively discussed. The performance of the proposed model for single lap FML joints is also examined using test data from open literature. It is found that the proposed model provides a conservative prediction for the tested single shear lap FML joint from open literature.

An experimental framework for simulating stress corrosion cracking in cable bolts

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of cable bolts in underground mines is a universal issue with limited cost effective solutions at present. Understanding the SCC mechanism of cable bolt failure is crucial in maintaining effective ground support and hence increasing the safety and productivity of underground mines. However, to date, no practical laboratory system has been developed to replicate the SCC mechanism which occurs in underground mines. In this study, based on the chemical properties of mine water, an acidified solution containing sulphide is synthesized. The solution is exposed to the wire strands from cable bolt in the laboratory to model service failure. It is shown that the applied stress intensity and time to failure have an inverse power law relationship in wires of cable bolts. Similar features are observed in both laboratory-failed specimens and the service-failed cable bolts under macroscopic and microscopic examinations, demonstrating the ability of the proposed framework to simulate failure of cable bolt subjected to SCC in the laboratory. Furthermore, the impact of stress intensity and hydrogen concentration on SCC are examined and a cohesive failure mechanism on the cable bolt SCC crack initiation, growth and catastrophic failure are presented. The proposed framework can be applied to the reinforcement materials for improved understanding of the SCC mechanism in underground mines and tunnels.

Study on Fatigue Degradation Behavior of a Cracked Rotor Subjected to Lateral Vibration

Fatigue crack in a rotary shaft is a common failure observed in rotor systems. Since vibration of the shaft causes alternating fatigue loads, the crack propagates slowly. Meanwhile, the propagating crack may cause nonlinear or unstable vibration of the rotor system. In fact, growth of the crack and vibration of the shaft are coupled with each other. Hence, it is necessary to study the fatigue degradation behavior of the cracked rotor accounting for this coupling effect. In this paper, a coupling model of rotor vibration and crack growth is established through dynamic theory and fracture mechanics, and a sequential iterative procedure is proposed to solve the coupling model. Then, the competing degradation failure mode of the cracked rotor is analyzed with regard to the rapid crack growth failure and the unstable vibration failure. And degradation measures are proposed based on the competing degradation failure criterion. At last, degradation behaviors with the coupling effect of nonlinear vibration behavior and multiple parameters including rotation speed, unbalance eccentricity and orientation angle, and damping are investigated by numerical simulation. The results indicate that nonlinear vibration behavior and multiple parameters have considerable influence on the degradation behaviors, which present complex regularity. The findings are of significance to guide the safety design of the rotor system for long time operation and help to the further research on prognostics and lifetime prediction.

Testing and assessment of cracking in P91 steels under creep-fatigue loading conditions

Abstract Future green energy options dictate that renewable energy source must be utilized when available. This poses a challenge to conventional power plant, which has generally been designed for base-load conditions, as they now need to operate in a ‘flexible’ manner. This flexible operation, in high temperature power plant components, could lead to a combination of creep and fatigue crack growth failure. Thus a better characterization of interactive creep-fatigue crack growth behaviour is required especially for assessing long term failure in plant. The industrial codes, such as R5 or BS7910, treat this interaction using linear accumulation of damage. However, this does not consider the degradation of properties and reduction in creep ductility in long term operations and their effect on the subsequent creep/fatigue behaviour. In this work creep-fatigue crack growth (CFCG) tests were performed on compact tension specimen of P91 steel in the as received and ex-service conditions at temperatures ranging between 600 °C to 625 °C, with the hold-times ranging from static to 600 s. The experimental results in addition to appropriate data from the literature have been analysed using stress intensity factor range, Δ K appropriate under fatigue control and the creep fracture mechanics parameter C* relevant under creep control. Scanning electron macroscopy (SEM) analysis confirms the influence of frequency on the mode of cracking. Within the scatter of experimental data for the present short term accelerated tests a linear cumulative damage rule can still predict the creep/fatigue interaction. However the effects due to low frequency cyclic loading as well as degraded the steel under ex-service conditions tending to reductions in creep ductility show factors of two or more faster cracking rates compared to as received static testing. Unavailability of long term tests at low stresses may pose additional problems under creep since creep is stress state controlled but fatigue in not. However using plane strain predictions of crack initiation and growth data using the NSW multiaxial ductility creep crack growth model suggest that conservative predictions of long term cracking can still be made under creep/fatigue and when there is a marked reduction creep failure ductility.

Microstructural mechanisms and advanced characterization of long and small fatigue crack growth in cast A356-T61 aluminum alloys

Fatigue crack growth-based design is a significant modern engineering consideration for the transportation sector, and its implementation requires accurate characterization and understanding of crack propagation mechanisms with respect to microstructure. To support this goal, long and small fatigue crack growth studies were conducted on widely used A356-T61 cast aluminum alloys in various microstructural conditions. Microstructural variations were created through processing and chemistry means in order to systematically investigate the individual and combined effects of the materials’ characteristic microstructural features on fatigue crack growth at all growth stages. Crack growth mechanisms and failure mode transitions are identified with respect to the eutectic Si morphology/distribution and grain structure by fractographic techniques and electron backscatter diffraction. Crack-microstructure interactions were investigated in depth across all crack sizes, and the respective roles of microstructural features were identified experimentally and further corroborated by numerical models. It is concluded that the eutectic Si phase enhances the alloys’ fatigue crack growth resistance in early growth stages (by transferring stresses off of the α-Al matrix), and progressively decreases due to damage localization. In later growth stages, the eutectic Si phase becomes increasingly detrimental to fatigue crack growth resistance because of its inherently low debonding strength and brittle fracture, as evidenced by the crack selectively following eutectic Si colonies.

Fatigue assessment of Ti-45Al-2Mn-2NbXD sub-element specimens

A novel test technique is described for the sub-element fatigue assessment of dovetail geometric features commonly employed as a fixture for blade/disc assemblies in steam and gas turbines. Once developed, the test method was employed to assess the performance of a model dovetail geometry employing the gamma titanium aluminide Ti-45Al-2Mn-2NbXD. In addition to generating information describing fatigue crack initiation, crack growth and ultimate failure, essentially via a trans-lamellar failure process, the associated wear processes were also characterised.

Abnormality in using cyclic fatigue for ranking static fatigue induced slow crack growth behavior of polyethylene pipe grade resins

Slow crack growth behavior in polyethylene pipe grade resins were studied using both static fatigue (stress-rupture) and cyclic fatigue tests. This was done to better understand the applicability of cyclic fatigue in the prediction of slow crack growth ranking determined from the static fatigue test. In all polyethylene pipe grade resins tested at 80 °C, reduced crack growth failure times were exhibited when the cyclic fatigue test was employed. However, when applied to rank the resins through their slow crack failure times, the cyclic fatigue results did not always confirm those obtained from the static fatigue test. That is, in some cases, a resin with higher slow crack resistance ranking (longer failure times) than another resin in static fatigue exhibited lower ranking (shorter failure times) in the cyclic fatigue test. This abnormality of reversal in ranking is not a general observation but does occur. Based on the data obtained so far, when resins with smaller differences between static fatigue and cyclic fatigue slow crack growth failure times are compared with those resins having larger differences, the chances of correctly predicting the ranking obtained from static fatigue using cyclic fatigue tend to decrease. Hence, it is suggested that one needs to practice caution when using cyclic fatigue to predict the static fatigue ranking of resins for slow cracking resistance. Some insight into the cause of such abnormality is discussed with reference to creep-fatigue interactions.

Corrosion Reliability Analysis Considering the Coupled Effect of Mechanical Stresses

Corrosion is one of the most critical failure mechanisms for engineering structures and systems, as corrosion damages grow with the increase of service time, thus diminish system reliability gradually. Despite tremendous efforts, effectively carrying out reliability analysis considering the complicated coupling effects for corrosion remains to be a grand challenge. There is a substantial need to develop sophisticated corrosion reliability models and effective reliability analysis approaches considering corrosion damage growth under coupled effects such as mechanical stresses. This paper presents a physics-of-failure model for pitting corrosion with the coupled effect of corrosion environment and mechanical stresses. With the developed model, corrosion damage growth can be projected and corrosion reliability can be analyzed. To carry out corrosion reliability analysis, the developed pitting corrosion model can be formulated as time-dependent limit state functions considering pit to crack transition, crack growth, and fracture failure mechanics. A newly developed maximum confidence enhancement (MCE)-based sequential sampling approach is then employed to improve the efficiency of corrosion reliability analysis with the time-dependent limit state functions. A case study is presented to illustrate the efficacy of the developed physics-of-failure model for corrosion considering the coupled mechanical stress effects, and the new corrosion reliability analysis methodology.

The effect of micro pore on the characteristics of crack tip plastic zone in concrete

Concrete is a heterogeneous material containing many weaknesses such as micro-cracks, pores and grain boundaries. The crack growth mechanism and failure behavior of concrete structures depend on the plastic deformation created by these weaknesses. In this article the non-linear finite element method is used to analyze the effect of presence of micro pore near a crack tip on both of the characteristics of crack tip plastic zone (its shape and size) and crack growth properties (such as crack growth length and crack initiation angle) under pure shear loading. The FE Code Franc2D/L is used to carry out these objectives. The effects of the crack-pore configurations and the spacing between micro pore and pre-excising crack tip on the characteristics of crack tip plastic zone and crack growth properties is highlighted. Based on the obtained results, the relative distance between the crack tip and the micro pore affects in very significant way the shape and the size of the crack tip plastic zone. Furthermore, crack growth length and crack initiation angle are mostly influenced by size and shape of plastic zone ahead of crack tip. Also the effects of pore decreaseon the crack tip by variation of pore situation from linear to perpendicular configuration. The critical position for a micro pore is in front of the crack tip.