Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties Research Articles

Effects of Cyclic Softening on Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties of Steel

Effects of Cyclic Softening on Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties of Steel

The influence of crack and interface oxidation on dwell fatigue crack propagation behavior of the nickel-base superalloy ATI A718Plus

The crack propagation properties are an important and often limiting factor for the commercial application of superalloys in aerospace applications where the oxidation ahead of the crack tip plays an important role. Previous research on the Ni-base superalloy A718Plus revealed that the orientation and the volume fraction of the high temperature grain boundary phases δ and η have a major influence on the dwell fatigue crack propagation rate at 650 °C in ambient air but not in vacuum. In this work, the effect of internal oxidation at the η/δ–matrix interface and its effect on dwell fatigue crack propagation and mechanical properties are examined by advanced microscopic methods and micro-cantilever testing. During crack propagation, the crack tip is exposed to air where a Nb-rich oxide layer forms and embrittles the η/δ–matrix interface causing the cracks to deflect and propagate along the oxidized interfaces. Micro-cantilever tests on the oxidized interface show that these oxide layers also significantly reduce the local strength and fracture toughness of the material. This proves that interfacial oxide layers are the underlying reason for the reduction of the dwell fatigue crack growth resistance at 650 °C, particularly in microstructures whose η/δ–matrix interfaces are oriented parallel to the crack growth direction.Graphical

Evaluation of fatigue crack initiation and propagation properties of structural steels with different cyclic softening behavior based on local strain

Evaluation of fatigue crack initiation and propagation properties of structural steels with different cyclic softening behavior based on local strain

Effect of Corrosion Products of Crack Face by Nitric Acid on Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties

Effect of Corrosion Products of Crack Face by Nitric Acid on Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties

Improvement of Fatigue Crack Propagation Property in Low Carbon Steel by Microstructural Control and an Investigation of its Practical Benefit

The fatigue crack propagation properties of newly-developed SM490 grade steels were investigated in comparison with a conventional steel of the same grade. The fatigue crack propagation rate of the developed steel in Region II of the da/dN-ΔK relationship was suppressed to about 1/2 that of the conventional steel, and its ΔKth value was more than twice as large as in the conventional steel. However, fatigue crack resistance for long crack propagation does not necessarily improve the fatigue life in a condition of increasing ΔK from a small defect, which is usually detected in practical fatigue damage in actual structures in service. The developed steels were subjected to surface crack propagation tests using specimens with artificial small defects to examine their potential under more practical conditions. The fatigue life of the developed steel was about three times longer than that of the conventional steel. A detailed analysis of the surface crack propagation revealed crack propagation below ΔKth only in the developed steels, which suggested the so-called "short crack regime" in a fatigue crack. The crack propagation from a surface defect that deviated from long crack behavior was convincingly explained by the corrected threshold using the R-curve model of a short crack proposed in the previous literature. Based on the experimental fatigue life improvement and its analytical estimation of the propagation resistance in the short crack regime, the effect of the ΔKth value for a long crack in the initial propagation stage just after fatigue crack initiation was discussed.

Effect of corrosion on the fatigue crack propagation properties of butt weld with G20Mn5QT cast steel and Q355D steel in 3.5‐wt% NaCl solution

AbstractThe corrosion fatigue crack propagation (FCP) of the butt weld with G20Mn5QT cast steel and Q355D steel in 3.5‐wt% NaCl solution was investigated experimentally. Considering the influences of stress ratio and loading frequency, the corrosion FCP rate curve was obtained. The results indicated that the corrosion FCP rate in the corrosion environment is three times that in air. Increasing the stress ratio or decreasing the loading frequency will increase the corrosion FCP rate. The fracture morphology of the specimens in the corrosion environment had more corrosion pits and intergranular characteristics due to anodic dissolution than that in air. Anodic dissolution and hydrogen embrittlement jointly promoted the corrosion FCP of butt weld in simulated seawater. The corrosion FCP rate model was established considering the effects of stress ratio and loading frequency.

Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Different Casing Drilling Steels

An investigation into the mechanical properties of K55, N80, and P110 steels commonly used for casing drilling was carried out together with microstructural and fractographic analysis. The results show that P110 steel consisted of almost fully tempered martensite and exhibited a synergy combination of static tensile, dynamic impact, and fatigue crack propagation properties among the three steels, possessing a higher fatigue limit and deeper crack tolerance before failure occurred. The K55 steel consisted of the pearlite and network structure of ferrite and possessed a high strain hardening exponent and low impact property, which led to the more suitable application under incidental large overload and temperature change, but it was unsuitable under the condition of higher impact force. The properties of N80 steel were moderate, and its fatigue property was higher than that of K55 and lower than that of P110; its incidental overload resistance was also higher than that of P110. The casing drilling steel can be selected according to the environment.

Effects of Cyclic Softening on Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties of Steel

Effects of Cyclic Softening on Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties of Steel

鋼材組織制御による疲労き裂進展特性の改善とその効果の一検証

The fatigue crack propagation properties of newly-developed SM490 grade steels were investigated in comparison with a conventional steel of the same grade. The fatigue crack propagation rate of the developed steel in Region II of the da/dN-ΔK relationship was suppressed to about 1/2 that of the conventional steel, and its ΔKth value was more than twice as large as in the conventional steel. However, fatigue crack resistance for long crack propagation does not necessarily improve the fatigue life in a condition of increasing ΔK from a small defect, which is usually detected in practical fatigue damage in actual structures in service. The developed steels were subjected to surface crack propagation tests using specimens with artificial small defects to examine their potential under more practical conditions. The fatigue life of the developed steel was about three times longer than that of the conventional steel. A detailed analysis of the surface crack propagation revealed crack propagation below ΔKth only in the developed steels, which suggested the so-called “short crack regime” in a fatigue crack. The crack propagation from a surface defect that deviated from long crack behavior was convincingly explained by the corrected threshold using the R-curve model of a short crack proposed in the previous literature. Based on the experimental fatigue life improvement and its analytical estimation of the propagation resistance in the short crack regime, the effect of the ΔKth value for a long crack in the initial propagation stage just after fatigue crack initiation was discussed.

Fabrication of High-Entropy Alloy CrMnFeCoNi with Bimodal Structure and Its Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties

Fabrication of High-Entropy Alloy CrMnFeCoNi with Bimodal Structure and Its Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties

Assessment of mechanical and fatigue crack growth properties of wire + arc additively manufactured mild steel components

AbstractA study has been conducted to evaluate the mechanical and fatigue crack propagation properties of wire + arc additively manufactured ER70S‐6 components. A parallel‐built deposition strategy was employed to fabricate the additively manufactured wall. The hardness values were slightly higher at the bottom and top of the wall due to the presence of Widmanstätten ferrite and carbides. The characterization of mechanical properties in both orientations; parallel and perpendicular to the deposition direction showed a marginal difference in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength. The crack growth rates were correlated with linear elastic fracture mechanics parameter ΔK and compared with an oscillation‐built deposition strategy from the literature. The crack growth rates of both deposition strategies were found to be very similar to each other. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the variability in the crack growth histories can be reasonably well captured by using the NASGRO crack growth equation.

Damage Mechanisms and Anisotropy of an AA7010-T7452 Open-Die Forged Alloy: Fatigue Crack Propagation.

The process–microstructure–property relationship of high-strength 7000 series aluminum alloys during fatigue crack propagation (FCP) is highly relevant for safety during the design and service of aircraft structural components. It is scientifically evident that many metallurgical factors affect FCP properties, but partly contradictory or inconclusive results show that the quantitative description of the relationships is still a major challenge among researchers and engineers. Most research focuses on sheet or plate products and investigations lack quantitative information on the process–property relationship between open-die forged thick products and FCP. The present study contributes to this field by investigating the fatigue crack growth behavior of an open-die forged AA7010-T7452 aluminum alloy. Four different forging conditions comprising different characteristic microstructures are comparatively analyzed. The influence of grain size, grain shape, specimen orientation, crystallographic texture, and primary phase particles is investigated. Fractographic analysis reveals different active damage mechanisms during fatigue crack growth. Based on that, the microstructure features relevant to fatigue damage areidentified in each regime of crack growth.

Fatigue Fracture Analysis on 2524 Aluminum Alloy with the Influence of Creep-Aging Forming Processes.

The different creep-aging forming processes of 2524 aluminum alloy were taken as the research object, and the effects of creep-aging temperature and creep stress on the fatigue-crack propagation properties of the alloy were studied. The research results showed the following under the same sintering time of 9 h, at creep-aging temperatures of 100 °C, 130 °C, 160 °C, and 180 °C, respectively, with an increase in creep-aging temperature: the fatigue-crack propagation rate was promoted, the spacing of fatigue striations increased, and the sizes of dimples decreased while the number was enlarged; this proves that the fatigue property of the alloy was weakened. Compared with the specimens with creep deformation radii of 1000 mm and 1500 mm, the creep deformation stress was the smallest when the forming radius was 1800 mm, with a higher threshold value of fatigue-crack growth in the near-threshold region of fatigue-crack propagation (ΔK ≤ 8 MPa·m1/2). Under the same fatigue cycle, the specimens under the action of larger creep stress endured a longer fatigue stable-propagation time and a faster fracture speed. Comparing the effect of creep-aging temperature and creep stress, the creep-aging temperature plays a dominant role in the fatigue-crack propagation of creep-aged 2524 aluminum alloy.

Microstructural Impact on Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Alloy 718

Alloy 718 for forged parts can form a wide range of microstructures through a variety of thermo-mechanical processes, depending on the number of remelting processes, temperature and holding time of homogenization annealing, cogging and the number of forging steps depending on the forming characteristics. In industrial practice, these processing steps are tailored to achieve specific mechanical and microstructural properties in the final product. In the present work, we investigate the dependence of the threshold of stress intensity factor range ΔKth on associated microstructural elements, namely grain size and distribution. For this purpose, a series of tests with different starting microstructures were performed at the falling stress intensity factor range, ΔK, and a load ratio of R = 0.1 to evaluate the different threshold values. Fracture initiation and crack propagation were analyzed afterward using scanning electron microscopy of the resulting fracture surfaces. In order to obtain comparable initial conditions, all specimens were brought to the same strength level by means of a two-stage aging heat treatment. In the future, this knowledge shall be used in the context of simulation-aided product development for estimating local fatigue crack propagation properties of simulated microstructures obtained from forging and heat treatment modeling.

Formation mechanism of the distinctive granular fracture surface in subsurface fracture of Ti6Al4V alloy

The formation mechanism of the granular regions often observed in subsurface fractures of Ti6Al4V alloy was experimentally investigated. To simulate and simplify the phenomenon of crack opening and closure, which is strongly related to fatigue crack propagation and strength properties, uniaxial cyclic compression tests were conducted in air and vacuum using test pieces with rounded surfaces under contact conditions. The results showed ring-like patterns on the parts of the rounded surfaces subjected to cyclic contact regardless of the ambient environmental conditions. However, in the case of vacuum only, fine surface asperities were observed, which were quite similar to those in the subsurface fractures. Microstructural refinement was confirmed by cross-sectional observation of the concave and convex parts. In the refined microstructure, voids and cracks were observed, which were formed during the refinement and adhesion processes. Microstructural refinement and metallic adhesion under compression loading in vacuum are key phenomena for the formation of fine surface asperities. Based on the experimental results, a new model for the formation mechanism of the granular region was proposed. This model can explain the characteristics of the granular region and the properties of subsurface fractures, which occur at lower stress and have longer lifetimes than surface fractures.

Determination of fatigue crack propagation thresholds using small-scale specimens

The damage tolerance approach is widely used in the design and estimation of inspection intervals of safety-relevant metallic components subject to fatigue loading. The approach relies on the knowledge of the fatigue crack propagation characteristics, wherein a relevant role is played by the fatigue crack propagation threshold. Nevertheless, the use of material data determined by testing on conventional specimens is not straightforward in the case of thin-walled components such as turbine blades or additively manufactured parts, in which the local variation of material properties in highly stressed regions must be considered. In these cases, the possibility of investigating the fatigue crack propagation properties on a limited portion of material is crucial. For this purpose, a new test procedure has been developed for small-scale specimens which allows the determination of the intrinsic fatigue crack propagation threshold and the near-threshold regime. The validity and limitations of the method are demonstrated on the high strength steel S960QL, along with a comparison with data determined by testing on conventional geometries.

Simultaneous Improvement in Mechanical Properties and Fatigue Crack Propagation Resistance of Low Carbon Offshore Structural Steel EH36 by Cu–Cr Microalloying

Improving the mechanical performance of low-carbon offshore steel is of great significance in shipbuilding applications. In this paper, a new Cu-Cr microalloyed offshore structural steel (FH36) was developed based on EH36. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and fatigue crack propagation properties of rolled plates of FH36, EH36, and normalizing rolled EH36 plates (EH36N) manufactured by a thermo-mechanical control process (TMCP) were analyzed and compared (to simplify, the two rolled specimens are signified by FH36T and EH36T, respectively). FH36T showed an obvious advantage in elongation with the value of 29%, 52.2% higher than the EH36T plates. The normalizing process led to a relatively lower yield stress (338 MPa), but substantially increased the elongation (33%) and lessened the yield ratio from 0.77 to 0.67. Electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis showed that SFs of the deformation texture of FH36T and EH36N along the transverse direction (TD) and normal direction (ND) were much higher than those of the EH36T plate, which enhanced the lateral movement ability in the width and thickness direction, enhancing the ductility. Moreover, FH36 plates showed a better fatigue crack propagation resistance than rolled EH36 plates. The formation of the jagged shape grain boundaries is believed to induce a decrease of effective stress intensity factor during the fatigue crack propagation process.

Fatigue crack propagation of aeronautic AA7050-T7451 and AA2050-T84 aluminum alloys in air and saline environments

AA7050-T7451 aluminum alloy is one of the most used material in aeronautical applications due to its high strength/density ratio and good fatigue resistance. More recently the AA2050-T84 alloy was introduced due to its reduced density and comparable static mechanical properties. However, fatigue crack propagation properties in corrosive environments are yet to be documented. In this paper fatigue crack propagation was evaluated in saline (3.5 wt% NaCl solution) and air environments. The AA2050-T84 alloy presented a better fatigue performance both in air and aqueous saline environments. Its superior performance was ascribed to non-homogeneous deformation and higher corrosion resistance. These results show the AA2050-T84 alloy as a potential candidate to replace AA7050-T7451 alloy in aeronautical components subjected to fatigue in corrosive environments.

Effect of Tailored Microstructures in CaO-Added AZ31 Extrusion Material on Tensile, High Cycle Fatigue and Fatigue Crack Propagation Properties

The effect of tailored microstructures in 0.5 wt% CaO added AZ31 on tensile, high-cycle fatigue, and fatigue crack growth properties was examined. By adding CaO, the average grain size (AGS) was significantly reduced from 4.25±2.32 μm (conventional AZ31) to 2.42±1.60 μm (CaO-AZ31). The fineprecipitates of CaO-AZ31 were more evenly distributed and their fraction was higher than those of conventional AZ31. The fine-precipitates were identified as Al8Mn4Ca and (Mg, Al)2Ca in CaO-AZ31, meanwhile, were identified as Al8Mn5 and Mg17Al11 in conventional AZ31. The tensile test results showed that the yield strengths of CaO-AZ31 and conventional AZ31 were 238.0 MPa and 206.7 MPa, respectively. The elongation-to-failure also increased when CaO was added. The improved tensile properties of CaO-AZ31 could be explained by grain refinement and precipitation hardening. The high-cycle fatigue limit also increased about 15% with added CaO. The fatigue limits as a function of the tensile strengths of CaO-AZ31 and conventional AZ31 were 0.508 and 0.457, respectively. The origin of the improved fatigue resistance was attributed to inhibition of the formation of DTs, which acted as the fatigue crack source, in CaO-AZ31. In contrast, the fatigue crack growth property did not change when CaO was added. Based on the above findings, the relationships between microstructure, mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms are also discussed.

Alternative radiopacifiers for polymethyl methacrylate bone cements: Silane-treated anatase titanium dioxide and yttria-stabilised zirconium dioxide.

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is widely used for anchoring joint arthroplasties. In cement brands approved for these procedures, micron-sized particles (usually barium sulphate, BaSO4) act as the radiopacifier. It has been postulated that these particles act as sites for crack initiation and subsequently cement fatigue. This study investigated whether alternative radiopacifiers, anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) and yttria-stabilised zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), could improve the in vitro mechanical, fatigue crack propagation and biological properties of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement and whether their coating with a silane could further enhance cement performance. Cement samples containing 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%w/w TiO2 or ZrO2 and 10%w/w silane-treated TiO2 or ZrO2 were prepared and characterised in vitro in terms of radiopacity, compressive and bending strength, bending modulus, fatigue crack propagation, hydroxyapatite forming ability and MC3T3-E1 cell attachment and viability. Cement samples with greater than 10%w/w TiO2 and ZrO2 had a similar radiopacity to the control 10%w/w BaSO4 cement and commercial products. The addition of TiO2 and ZrO2 to bone cement reduced the bending strength and fracture toughness and increased fatigue crack propagation due to the formation of agglomerations and voids. Silane treating TiO2 reversed this effect, enhancing the dispersion and adhesion of particles to the PMMA matrix and resulted in improved mechanical properties and fatigue crack propagation resistance. Silane-treated TiO2 cements had increased nucleation of hydroxyapatite and MC3T3-E1 cell attachment in vitro, without significantly compromising cell viability. This research has demonstrated that 10%w/w silane-treated anatase TiO2 is a promising alternative radiopacifier for PMMA bone cement offering additional benefits over conventional BaSO4 radiopacifiers.