Effect Of Mean Stress Research Articles

Crack Growth and Fatigue Strength of Deck‐Rib Welded Joints in Orthotropic Steel Decks Integrating Mean Stress Effect

ABSTRACTFatigue tests were conducted to investigate the effects of mean stress, stress range, and deck thickness on crack growth and fatigue failure of the deck‐rib welded joint. According to the experimental results, a fatigue failure criterion and a fatigue evaluation method for deck‐rib welded joints, which consider mean stress effect, was proposed. The results indicated that the stress range remains the dominating factor, but the influence of mean stress cannot be ignored. It was proposed that the crack length reaching approximately 150 mm and the depth reaching around 70% deck thickness can be taken as the fatigue failure criterion, while increase in mean stress would reduce the critical crack length but increase the critical crack depth. Besides, multiple cracks will weaken the fatigue strength. It is recommended to use Walker method and the FAT 71 curve with enhancement factor to evaluate the fatigue strength under symmetrical stress cycle.

Influence of shot-peening on the self-heating behavior and fatigue properties of 300M steel

Shot peening is an established cold working process used to introduce residual compressive stresses on a surface and is extensively studied using conventional fatigue tests. However, it has not been widely studied using the self-heating method. Specifically, the heterogeneity of the dissipation field has not been estimated, with only an average approach being used. Previous investigations in the case of 300M steel demonstrated that the effect of shot peening on the high cycle fatigue properties can be either beneficial or detrimental. This study proposes to apply the self-heating method on polished 300M and to investigate the effect of mean stress and shot peening on the dissipation behavior. A modified self-heating model is proposed and calibrated for 300M steel. Combined with residual stress profiles, a method to compute and determine the shot peening effect on self-heating behavior through single point surface measurements is proposed. Application on 300M steel shows excellent results, the over-dissipation being mainly due to the sub-surface compressive residual stresses. The self-heating method has proven useful to quickly estimate fatigue properties of polished 300M steel. Based on the understanding of the self-heating curve of shot peened 300M steel, a quantification of shot-peening effect on fatigue limit is discussed.

Study on the estimation method for the mean stress effect on the fatigue strength of welded joints with various failure modes and joint types

Study on the estimation method for the mean stress effect on the fatigue strength of welded joints with various failure modes and joint types

Development of a novel approach to correlate small punch fatigue with uniaxial ratcheting fatigue

The miniaturization of fatigue specimens has seen significant advancements, realized either by scaling down conventional specimens while preserving their geometry or by experimenting with novel specimen shapes and loading configurations. In this study, the small punch test (SPT) technique, which is well-established for estimating tensile, creep, and ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT), is employed to predict the cyclic deformation behaviour of SS 316LN and modified 9Cr-1Mo (P91) steels. The small punch fatigue (SPF) experiments demonstrated continuous displacement accumulation, similar to strain accumulation in ratcheting. The study evaluates the influence of various load parameters, such as amplitude and mean load, on SPF outcomes and compares these to the effects of stress amplitude and mean stress on ratcheting results. The differences in deformation behaviour between ratcheting and small punch fatigue and the effect of biaxiality in SP configuration life is analysed. Finally, to establish a correlation between SPF and ratcheting results, the three life prediction models (Gerber, Goodman, and Smith-Watson-Topper) are examined and a new correlation is proposed by introducing a novel damage parameter.

A state-dependent bimodal soil water retention model considering evolutions of pore-scale soil–water interaction

Existing soil water retention models can capture the effects of void ratio and/or net mean stress on the changes in soil water retention curve (SWRC). However, most of them, especially those for bimodal soil that is composed of macro- and micro-pore systems, do not consider the simultaneous evolutions of pore structure and particle contacts, and neglected the drainage processes of bulk water and meniscus water when subjected to any external hydro-mechanical loading condition. This paper proposes a state-dependent bimodal SWRC model considering pore structure evolution and pore-scale water drainage. In this model, an elastoplastic relationship is introduced to describe the variations of void ratio with net mean stress and suction, whilst the corresponding changes in the pore structure are modelled by the shift and scaling of the pore-size distribution and the volumetric proportion between the macro- and micro-pore systems. By relating stress-induced changes in void ratio and coordination number to the mean pore radius and total meniscus water volume, respectively, the soil water content at different stages of water drainage can be determined. The model is validated against existing and new data, and can capture the effects of void ratio, isotropic stress, and K0 stress for unimodal and bimodal soils.

A New Critical Plane Multiaxial Fatigue Criterion with an Exponent to Account for High Mean Stress Effect

The mean stress effect remains a critical aspect in multiaxial fatigue analysis. This work presents a new criterion that, based on the classical Findley criterion, applies a material-dependent exponent to the mean normal stress term and includes the ultimate tensile stress as a fitting parameter. This way of considering the non-linear effect of the mean stress, with a material-dependent rather than a fixed exponent, is totally innovative among the multiaxial fatigue criteria found in the literature. In order to verify its accuracy, the new criterion has been checked against an extended version of the Papuga database of multiaxial experimental tests with 485 results, and compared with the criteria by Findley, Robert, and Papuga. The new criterion provides outstanding results for pure uniaxial cases, with multiaxial performance similar to the Robert criterion with a smaller range of error and a conservative trend, even surpassing the popular Papuga method in several relevant loading scenarios. These features enhance the applicability and versatility of the criterion for its use in the fatigue design of structural components.

Predicting fatigue failure in five‐axis machined ball‐end milled components through FKM local stress approach

AbstractComponents created with five‐axis machining show a multi‐scale surface character due to cusps created on the surface and feed and tool marks within the cusps. Therefore, it becomes difficult to incorporate the effects of surface character on fatigue life for such components. In this work, an Forschungskuratorium Maschinenbau (FKM) guideline is adapted to develop a fatigue prediction model which considers cusps as notches and marks within the cusps as surface roughness (characterized by parameter R10z). The assessment uses stresses obtained from an finite element analysis model to predict the fatigue life of components whilst considering stress concentration, stress gradient, mean stress, and surface roughness effects. When cusps are regarded as surface roughness within the conventional FKM approach, fatigue life is considerably underestimated. In comparison, fatigue life predictions that take into consideration the roughness within cusps and treat cusps as stress‐raising notches are closer to experimental life.

Evaluation of the accuracy and efficiency of the modified maximum variance method for multiaxial fatigue analysis under constant amplitude loading

An optimized version of the Maximum Variance Method (MVM) is employed to determine maximum shear stress amplitudes in high-cycle multiaxial fatigue analysis using the critical plane approach, increasing accuracy and reducing computational burden. This refined approach posits that the MVM assumes that the critical plane is the one subjected to the maximum variance of the shear stress history. Comprehensive statistical analyses, including Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparison techniques such as Tukey’s HSD and Bonferroni correction, were conducted to systematically investigate the impact of critical factors on fatigue resistance, such as mean stress, phase, synchrony, failure criteria, and the strategy for calculating maximum shear stress amplitude. These analyses highlighted significant effects of mean stress and phase on the accuracy of fatigue strength predictions, underscoring the effectiveness of the enhanced MVM in managing complex loading scenarios. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology performs equal to or better than conventional methods, with significantly lower computational costs.

Life prediction based on fatigue-environment damage under multiaxial thermo-mechanical loading

In this paper, the competition mechanism between protectiveness and harmfulness of oxidation, as well as the effects of cycle period, mean stress and temperature on the damage behavior of TA15 titanium alloy are revealed under multiaxial thermo-mechanical fatigue loading. Based on the damage mechanism, a high-temperature environmental damage model is proposed under multiaxial thermo-mechanical fatigue loading first, then a life prediction method is developed by combining a multiaxial fatigue damage model. The experimental verification results under uniaxial and multiaxial thermo-mechanical fatigue loadings showed that almost all of the prediction errors are within a factor of 2.

Mean Stress Correction in Low Cycle Fatigue Life of High Strength Steels

Fatigue strength of welded joints varies depending on the shape, filler metal, welding procedure, and post-treatment method. In addition, mean stress affects the fatigue behavior in terms of stress ratio. Typically, it is well known that tensile mean stress tends to decrease fatigue life while compressive mean stress increase fatigue life. There are various methods to incorporate the mean stress effect in fatigue strength, but there are relatively few correction methods in compressive mean stress, especially in low cycle fatigue regime.</br>In this study, a load-based fatigue test was conducted to evaluate the effect of mean stress on the welded joints of High Yield strength steel(HY Steel) with T-joint shape. The effect of the mean stress on the welded part of HY Steel with a T-joint shape was investigated using stress-based mean stress correction methods and strain-based mean stress correction methods. When the effective mean stress approach, which can correct compressive mean stress and tensile mean stress, is applied to HY Steel with a T-joint shape, it shows accurate correction result than stress-based mean stress correction method and strain-based mean stress correction method. Sensitivity parameters to consider mean stress for HY steel are presented.

Fatigue performance testing and life prediction of welded fuel pipes

The external piping system which connects power devices, valve control devices, actuators, etc. is an essential system on the aero engine. Under the combined effects of high fluid pressure and external vibration, multiaxial fatigue failure is the main factor that seriously affects the safety of the piping system. The objective of this paper is to establish the multiaxial fatigue life model for the typical welded fuel pipe of the piping system by combining fatigue testing, simulation and theoretical analysis which is of great guiding significance for the engineering application of the piping system. Firstly, the fatigue limits of welded fuel pipes under no and 13.5 MPa internal pressure are obtained by rotational bending fatigue tests using the up-and-down method. Three additional stress levels of rotational bending fatigue tests under no internal pressure are supplemented and then the S-N curve is further obtained by the group method. Since the corresponding fracture surface of the specimens locates at the weld toe near the fixed end, peak stress method is adopted to evaluate the fatigue performance of the weld toe on the pipe specimens. In addition, by comparing the fatigue limit with no and 13.5 MPa internal pressured pipes, it is obvious that the equivalent uniaxial stress corrected by Gerber formula is not applicable for the multiaxial fatigue condition which is caused by the combined effect of fluid pressure and displacement load. The local stress concentration factor caused by the weld toe is determined and based on Findley critical plane model, the multiaxial fatigue life model is established which simultaneously takes the local stress concentration effect, mean stress effect and multiaxial stress effect into consideration. The results of rotational bending fatigue tests under 13.5 MPa internal pressure are within the triple error dispersion band and the accuracy of the proposed life model are verified.

Mean Stress Correction of S45C Carbon Steel Based on Crack Growth Concept (Proposal of Non-Closure Model)

Abstract Influence of the tensile mean stress on fatigue life and fatigue limit was investigated for carbon steel. Uni-axial fatigue tests were conducted under stress and strain-controlled conditions at room temperature. The fatigue life and fatigue limit were reduced by applying the mean stress for the same stress amplitude. The fatigue life exhibited a better correlation with the strain range than with the stress amplitude. Increase in strain range caused by applying the mean stress correlated well with the decrease in the fatigue life. It was proposed that the mean stress effect on the fatigue life was brought about by the change in crack growth rate caused by applying the mean stress. The mean stress enhanced crack opening and accelerated the crack growth. The reduction in the fatigue limit was also brought about by the same effect. It was shown that the effective strain range considering crack closure effect gave good prediction of fatigue life and fatigue limit with and without the mean stress.

Effects of mean stress on the fatigue properties of core‐in‐sheath‐type carbon/glass hybrid thermoplastic composite rods: Experimental investigation and practical predictive method

AbstractA systematic acquisition of fatigue test data was conducted under different stress ratio conditions to investigate the effect of mean stress on the fatigue properties of carbon/glass hybrid thermoplastic composite rods. Our findings revealed that as the stress ratio increased with a higher mean stress, the stress dependency of the fatigue life also increased, and the slope of the S‐N curve became gentler. Under identical stress ratio conditions, hybrid rods with a greater volume fraction of carbon fiber exhibited the highest strength and a more gradual slope of the S‐N curve. To account for mean stress effects, an equivalent stress amplitude was introduced, resulting in data collapse at around 107 cycles, rendering this approach an industrially useful method to predict fatigue behavior when working with limited experimental datasets. This study presents a practical technique for estimating fatigue strength under mean stress through a weighted average efficiency and equivalent stress amplitude.

Extended constant life diagrams for low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue assessments of high-temperature structures

Over the decades, the constant life diagram has become an important tool for engineering design and assessment. For specific materials, the effect of mean stress and stress amplitude on the fatigue life is considered in traditional constant life diagrams. In this study, the concept of the structural constant creep-fatigue life diagram is proposed for engineering structures subjected to cyclic loads in high-temperature environments. By integrating constant fatigue and creep-fatigue life curves into the traditional Bree diagram, we offer an efficient and reliable approach that enables quick determination of structural life and corresponding failure mechanisms. To provide a one-stop solution for the evaluation of constant fatigue/creep-fatigue life curves, an extended Unified Procedure for Fatigue and Ratchet Analysis (eUPFRA) has been proposed based on the Linear Matching Method (LMM) framework. Case studies on engineering components have also been performed with consideration of the cyclic hardening effect, temperature-dependent material properties and various damage models. The impact of the target life and creep dwell time is further investigated, as well as the creep-fatigue interaction mechanism. Verification against ABAQUS step-by-step inelastic analysis has finally been conducted, confirming the precision and efficiency of the eUPFRA.

An interlaminar fatigue damage model based on property degradation of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Interface delamination is a significant damage mechanism in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminated composites caused by interlaminar normal and shear stresses. This is due to the low interlaminar properties including interface stiffness and strength that continuously degrade to cause fatigue crack nucleation and growth. In this respect, an interlaminar fatigue damage model is proposed to accurately address the reliability aspect of the FRP composite materials and structures. The model considers a damage process that consists of two stages: (1) fatigue damage evolution due to interlaminar properties degradation to the onset of crack nucleation. A cyclic cohesive zone model with a bilinear softening behavior is introduced along with the fatigue life model to capture the mean stress effect of the interface. This is followed by (2) the crack nucleation process leading to the physical separation/debonding of the interface material point, as governed by the cycle-dependent fracture energy dissipation. The mechanical prediction of the interlaminar fatigue damage process is illustrated through finite element simulation of a mixed-mode flexural test of a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite beam subjected to fatigue loading. The results indicate that the interlaminar normal and shear crack opening displacement increases exponentially with the larger number of load cycles. In addition, the high-stress gradient is limited to the interface crack front zone with the normal and shear stress peaks at 69.2 and 16.5 % of the respective interlaminar strength. Moreover, controlled interlaminar crack growth is initially foreseen at 7.0 × 10-6 mm/cycle, followed by an abrupt crack “jump” at 287,000 load cycles.

Continuum damage mechanics-based fatigue life prediction of L-PBF Ti-6Al-4V

The fatigue behavior and life of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V are very dependent on its heterogeneous microstructure, which in turn results from its fabrication process. In this paper, a fatigue damage model based on continuum damage mechanics was proposed to predict the high-cycle and very-high-cycle fatigue life at various stress ratios of Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). Model predictions were found to be in good agreement with experimental results for the different stress ratios considered. The model was found to be sufficiently robust to predict the fatigue life of other titanium alloys over a range of mean stress. The primary novelty is the incorporation of a tensorial formulation for anisotropic fatigue properties and the nonlinear effect of mean stress, which extended the model applicability to a wide range of stress ratio from -1 to 0.5. The results provide new insight into mean stress effects on fatigue of L-PBF Ti-6Al-4V up to the very-high-cycle fatigue regime.

Fatigue behavior of copper thin films

In this study, to investigate the mean stress effect on fatigue life of a 12 μm thick copper thin film, fatigue tests were performed at four maximum stress levels for a wide range of stress ratios. Tensile and creep tests were also performed to obtain the reference mechanical properties of the copper thin film tested. The fatigue behavior of copper thin films depended on the regions of the stress ratio and the modified Goodman and Gerber equations could not describe the mean stress effect on fatigue life well. The Haigh diagram was constructed using stress vs. life curve data obtained in this study, and the constant life curve was approximated by three straight lines. The Haigh diagram for copper thin films can be classified into three regimes: fatigue, fatigue-creep, and creep, depending on the fracture mode. The fatigue life can be well described with the equivalent stress amplitude calculated from the constant life curve, regardless of stress ratio.

Experimental investigation on mechanical behavior of silane‐modified polyurethane sealant under biaxial cyclic loading

AbstractThe biaxial tension–tension cyclic loading experiments were conducted on the cruciform specimens prepared using a silane‐modified polyurethane sealant to investigate their mechanical behavior. The finite element method was employed to validate the mechanical behavior of cruciform specimens under the biaxial cyclic loading conditions. It is shown that the highest stress concentration is in the central region of the cruciform specimens, indicating that the shape design of the specimen is suitable for the biaxial tension–tension cyclic tests. Additionally, the effects of loading path, mean stress, and stress amplitude on ratcheting strain and dissipated energy were analyzed through the experimental data. The experimental results demonstrated that the loading path had an influence on the mechanical behavior of the cruciform specimen. The additional ratcheting strain caused by the non‐proportional loading path was found to be loading path dependent of the adhesive. Moreover, the mean stress and stress amplitude greatly affected the strain response curves of the specimen under biaxial cyclic loading. The ratcheting strain and dissipated energy increased with increasing mean stress and stress amplitude; nevertheless, stress amplitude had more influence on the mechanical behavior than the mean stress.

Fatigue behavior of load-carrying cruciform fillet weld joints under variable amplitude load

The objective of the current work is to study the mean stress effect of variable amplitude (VA) loading on the fatigue strength of load-carrying fillet-welded joints (LCFWJs). Experimental fatigue tests were carried out on LCFWJs made of S700 high-strength steel, considering constant amplitude (CA) and VA loads. In the case of VA loads, a Gaussian load spectrum shape with both constant minimum and maximum stress levels was considered to study varying mean stress conditions. Numerical analyses were conducted to determine the effective stresses at the weld root. The fatigue behavior of LCFWJs was evaluated using the 4R method, which takes into account the local stress ratio (Rlocal, i), material ultimate strength (Rm), residual stress (σres), and weld toe radius (r). Lower fatigue strength was found for the VA tests with the constant maximum stress tests compared to the CA tests when using damage parameter of D = 1.00, while the VA tests with the constant minimum stress tests showed higher fatigue performance. Nonetheless, employing damage parameters of D = 0.2 and D = 0.5 for variable amplitude loads with and without fluctuating mean stress conditions, respectively, provided conservative assessments compared to the design standards. By employing the 4R method, the precision of the assessments could be significantly improved, and the CA and VA fatigue test results fit into a single scatter band with scatter index of Tσ = 1.06 with damage sum of D = 1.00.

Cumulative fretting fatigue damage model for steel wire ropes

AbstractFretting fatigue contributes significantly to the fatigue failure process in steel wire ropes at the wire‐to‐wire trellis contact region with partial slip conditions. In this respect, this work demonstrates a new damage‐based fretting fatigue model for the prediction of such a failure process. The model is based on Lemaitre's damage equations for quasi‐brittle material with a damageable micro‐inclusion embedded in an elastic meso‐element. It incorporates the cyclic degradation of the elastic modulus of the drawn steel wire material. The fatigue life model acknowledges the mean stress effect. The constitutive and damage equations are formulated into user material (UMAT) subroutine for integration with Abaqus finite element analysis code. The localized fretting fatigue damage mechanism is simulated with an isolated two‐wire model. The effect of the contact condition with the coefficient of friction of 0.2 and 0.8 on the contact mechanics of the drawn wires is considered. The fretting fatigue mechanism map is established for each simulation case. The simulated results of N0 (no of cycles to initiate damage) and damage variable, D, confirm the fretting fatigue condition as the damage occurs in the slip region of the contact area for both the frictional conditions. The results were found in agreement with the previously establish Ruiz fretting parameter. This study will provide a base for the onward reliability assessment of steel wire ropes.