Creep-fatigue Interaction Research Articles

Generalization of crack growth mechanisms under isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue by COD and ERR parameters

An experimental-computational study of the crack opening displacement (COD) was performed to evaluate the ability of this parameter through the hysteresis loop area and energy release rate (ERR) to characterise fatigue crack growth under isothermal and thermomechanical conditions. To this end, a range of experimental crack growth tests were carried out including isothermal fatigue (IF), creep-fatigue interaction (CFI), in-phase (IP), and out-of-phase (OOP) thermomechanical fatigue (TMF). The crack growth experimental results in terms of COD and ERR were interpreted based on multi-physics finite element analyses of the stress–strain and displacement fields performed by incorporating Maxwell 3D, Fluent, and the transient structural modules of ANSYS. As a result of measurements and computations, the COD on the outer surface of the SENT specimen at the location of the original notch was found to be directly related to the crack tip opening displacement (CTOD). To gain insight into the fatigue crack growth mechanism operating under isothermal and TMF conditions, the fracture surfaces of all the tested specimens were examined using a scanning electron microscope to compare the morphology and changes in the dominant failure mechanisms. It was found that propagating cracks under isothermal and thermomechanical conditions interact with the microstructure of the material, and supporting fractography evidenced subtle differences in fracture mechanisms in terms of COD and ERR parameters. The relationship between the experimentally determined energy release rate and degradation function in the fatigue phase-field fracture methodology is discussed.

Prediction of Mechanical Response of Nickel based Superalloy Subjected to Creep Fatigue Interaction Loading using Unified Mechanics Theory

In order to simulate and predict material's real-time responses for a component under complex mechanical and thermal loads, continuum damage mechanics (CDM) is employed. However, majority of the models found in the literature are phenomenological and primarily based on curve fitting, which offer limited understanding of the underlying physics of the problem. A few physics-based models have been developed that provide greater insights. Unified mechanics theory (UMT) is one such approach that captures entropy generation due to various dissipative mechanism which aims to explain the physics of the problem. During hold time in strain-controlled creep-fatigue interaction loading, stress relaxation is observed. This study attempts to capture stress relaxation response due to creep-fatigue interaction of nickel-based superalloys using UMT, which is regarded as a more scientific method than simply fitting curves. The evolution of creep strain energy with hold time is used to understand how material ages over time due to stress relaxation during creep-fatigue interaction loading.

Modelling short crack growth under creep-fatigue interaction for different dwell times

The creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) short crack growth behavior of 316H steel under different dwell times at 550℃ was investigated in this work. The dwell time effect of the CFI short crack growth behavior is analyzed systematically, the results revealed that compared to the long cracks, the short cracks is more sensitive to the creep damage effect during the dwell period. Meanwhile, a CTOD-based CFI short crack growth rate predication model is proposed by introducing the creep effect during the dwell time. Compared with conventional fracture mechanics approach, the CTOD-based approach demonstrated a superior capability in providing a unified prediction result for the creep-fatigue interaction in short crack growth rates under different dwell times.

Low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue interaction behavior of 2.25CrMoV steel at high temperature

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) behavior of 2.25CrMoV steel at an elevated temperature of 455 °C. The LCF tests are conducted using a triangular waveform with varying strain amplitudes ranging from 0.4 % to 0.7 %. Furthermore, the CFI tests are conducted using a trapezoidal waveform with different hold times and hold directions. To gain further insights, the microstructure and fracture behavior of the steel are characterized using optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The results reveal that the softening behavior and fatigue life degradation of the steel are dependent on the applied strain amplitude, hold time, and hold direction. Higher strain amplitudes in the LCF tests lead to an increased number of crack initiation sources. During the CFI tests, fatigue fracture is identified as the primary failure mechanism under tensile hold conditions, and an increase in hold time promotes crack propagation. The interaction between fatigue and creep is found to be more significant in compressive hold and tensile compressive combination hold conditions. Microstructure analysis demonstrates that the lath structure recovers during cyclic loading, resulting in cyclic softening. Finally, a modified energy-based model is proposed to distinguish the different roles of tensile energy and compressive energy in the fatigue process. The proposed model accurately predicts the fatigue life of the 2.25CrMoV steel, as demonstrated by the good agreement between the experimental and predicted results.

Strain-controlled creep-fatigue interaction property of Nb521 refractory alloy: Hold time effect and life prediction

Strain-controlled creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) tests were conducted for NbW alloy, i.e., Nb521 alloy, at 900 °C with a strain amplitude of ±0.3% under atmospheric conditions to study the effect of hold time on the CFI failure behaviour, with the results indicating that the creep-fatigue life of the Nb521 alloy decreased with an increase in the hold time. The decline rate gradually flattened, with no saturation effect observed. Furthermore, with an increase in the hold time, the hardening rate of the Nb521 alloy gradually decreased, but the softening rate remained high. Fatigue fractures can be divided into stable propagation, rapid propagation, and final fracture zones according to their morphological characteristics. Compared with the stable propagation zone of the pure fatigue fracture surface, the creep damage caused by the hold time resulted in numerous intergranular fracture features in the stable propagation zone of the CFI fracture surface, indicating that the crack propagation mode changed from a transgranular fracture to a mixed transgranular–intergranular fracture. The strain energy density exhaustion model under nonlinear damage summation better reflects the CFI damage behaviour, with the creep-fatigue life prediction result considered acceptable.

A generalization ability-enhanced image recognition based multiaxial fatigue life prediction method for complex loading conditions

A generalization ability-enhanced image recognition based multiaxial low-cycle fatigue life prediction is proposed for complex conditions, including multiaxial variable amplitude fatigue, fatigue-creep interaction, and anisotropic materials. Notably, a novel modified dynamic hysteresis image plotting method is introduced for multiaxial variable amplitude loading. Building on a pre-trained convolution neural network (CNN) model, fine-tuning is used across three cases. It makes the error decrease to 25%. Besides, fine-tuning improves training efficiency and generalization. Based on fine-tuning results, each layer of the model is attributed with physics significance. Furthermore, regression activation map (RAM) is used for interpretation, illustrating that the model focuses on the inner and edges of hysteresis images.

Creep–Fatigue Life Estimation of Gr.91 Steel and Its Welded Joints

A series of creep–fatigue tests of Gr.91 steel were performed at 600 °C. Fatigue life was reduced by tensile strain holding. The minimum life reduction factor was approximately 0.3. The creep–fatigue life could not be estimated properly via the conventional linear summation rule of the fatigue damage and creep damage. Since this material is considered to have a large creep–fatigue interaction, it was proposed that the creep–fatigue life should be estimated using the improved linear summation rule of the fatigue damage, the creep damage and the creep–fatigue interaction damage. In the future, it will be necessary to clarify the creep–fatigue interaction mechanism and define its damage value. On the other hand, a series of creep–fatigue tests for Gr.91 steel welded joints were also performed in the strain range of 0.5% at 600 °C. Again, the fatigue life was shortened by the tensile strain holding. The minimum fatigue life reduction factor was approximately 0.2. All the test pieces fractured in the fine-grained HAZ of the welded joints. The creep–fatigue life could not be estimated properly using the linear summation rule of the fatigue damage and creep damage in the HAZ. One possible reason was thought to be the effects of the elastic follow-up phenomena peculiar to welded joints. The creep strain of the HAZ might increase due to the transfer of the elastic strain from both the base metal and the weld metal, according to the elastic follow-up phenomena during strain holding. In the future, it will be important to quantitatively estimate the effects of the elastic follow-up phenomena.

On the fracture and energy characteristics of rock–backfill composite structure specimens exposed to fatigue–creep interaction loading

AbstractA series of stress‐controlled fatigue–creep interaction loading tests were performed on rock–backfill composite structure (RBCS) samples. The testing results reveal the influence of cement/tailing (c/t) on deformation, energy dissipation, damage evolution, and macro–meso failure patterns. The equivalent lifetime of RBCS is the largest for a sample with smaller stiffness filling, a smaller stiffness filling leads to weaker volumetric expansion. Additionally, strain energy is relatively large for larger stiffness filling, indicating a larger proportion of energy release at failure. A dissipated energy‐based damage evolution model is proposed to describe damage propagation at the entire fatigue–creep process which fits well with the experimental data. Moreover, the macro–meso failure pattern reveals the interactions between surrounding rock and filling material, failure seems to change from tension splitting to shear with increasing c/t. Good agreement was found among the volumetric deformation, energy dissipation, and failure pattern. It is suggested that flexible backfilling is benefit to prevent rock spalling and collapse.

Studies on high-temperature fatigue behaviour and mechanism for conventionally cast and directed energy deposited forms of Alloy 625

The aim of the present work is to study the low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) behaviour of two product forms of Alloy 625. Experiments were performed under total strain control mode using triangular and trapezoidal waveforms under complete reverse loading with R = −1, with a total strain amplitude of ±0.25 %, ±0.4 % and ±0.6 % employing a constant strain rate of 3 × 10−3 s−1 over a temperature range of 298 to 973 K. The additive manufacturing process using the directed energy deposition (DED) technique resulted in an improved fatigue life as compared with the conventional casting (CCA) route. Microstructural analysis using electron back scatter diffraction indicated that an alternating strain got generated within the microstructure and the damage was observed as a strain incompatibility within the partitioned regions of fine and neighbouring coarser grains. The preferred columnar growth occurred in the 〈001〉 direction. Inter-dendritic decohesions were attributed to the Mo, Nb and Ti enrichments. While at ambient temperature, an inter-dendritic de-cohesion and strain incompatibility was the cause for final failure, the occurrence of additional time dependent phenomena such as dynamic strain ageing (DSA), oxidation and creep triggered an earlier fatigue failure at elevated temperatures.

Numerical predictions of low cyclic fatigue and creep-fatigue behavior of P92 steel under non-isothermal-mechanical loading

Low-Cycle Fatigue (LCF) and creep-fatigue-interaction (CFI) behavior of a ferritic-martensitic stainless steel P92 is studied under strain-controlled non-isothermal -mechanical fatigue loading in the temperature range of 300°C∼620°C and 500°C∼620°C, respectively. The strain-controlled tests with and without the tensile and compression holding times are simulated for different mechanical strains amplitudes. An improved Unified Viscoplastic constitutive Model (UVM) is proposed based on the framework of modified Chaboche non-linear kinematic hardening rule. The improved UVM incorporates strain rate sensitivity, temperature rate dependence, static recovery associated with plastic strain, mean stress evolution and cyclic softening of strain range dependence, and so on. Furthermore, the expressions of the implicit stress integration algorithm and the consistent tangential modulus are deduced on the basis of radial return mapping and backward Euler integration methods, respectively, and the improved UVM is implemented into the ABAQUS software using the user material subroutine UMAT. The simulation results of the UVM correlate well with the experimental data.

Study on creep-fatigue interaction mechanism and life prediction of aero-engine turbine blade

Aiming at the creep-fatigue interaction damage failure problem of turbine blades in aeronautical engineering, firstly, based on the modified Kachanov-Rabotnov-Chaboche (MKRC) damage mechanics theory, the creep-fatigue life prediction model of turbine blade material was constructed with the experimental verification completion of nickel-based superalloy DZ125. Meanwhile, the creep-fatigue interaction behavior was investigated with the mechanism revelation. Then, considering the shape, size and microscopic defect difference effect from the material to the structure, the creep-fatigue life prediction model of turbine blade structure is proposed by introducing the comprehensive correction factor with experimental verification. Finally, the research results show that there are a large number of interwoven tear edges, micro-cracks and micro-pores in the fracture morphology, and creep and fatigue interact with each other in the form of effective stress. Simultaneously, the creep-fatigue life prediction model has a high life prediction ability with an error of 3%, which can provide a theoretical reference for the damage tolerance design of the turbine blade.

Creep deformation and constitutive modelling of 316LN SS with varying nitrogen content

In this investigation, two different constitutive models were employed to examine the creep deformation and damage behaviour of nuclear grade austenitic 316LN SS with four different nitrogen contents (0.07–0.22 wt%) at 923 K. Creep deformation resistance of the alloys investigated by “internal-stress based kinetic creep law” for primary and secondary creep stages revealed an increase in internal stress and decrease in obstacle spacing accompanied with lower dynamic recovery with increasing nitrogen. The aforementioned outcomes substantiated the experimentally observed beneficial role of nitrogen on lowering of creep strain rate with increasing nitrogen level. In contrast to the above observations, the analysis of coupled creep deformation and damage using the Kachanov-Rabotnov model and the subsequent development of iso-damage contours indicated evolution of higher creep damage at lower strains with increasing nitrogen content. With increasing % nitrogen, damage rate dominated over the strain rate thus justifying the observed significant intergranular damage at and above 0.14% N. Based on the above results and in-house studies on low cycle fatigue and creep–fatigue interaction, optimum nitrogen content is suggested between 0.07 and 0.14% N in 316LN SS that combines the benefits of low nitrogen content and strengthening effects of high nitrogen content.

Damage-coupled unified constitutive modeling of 316LN stainless steel including dynamic strain aging under various tension dwell time: A macroscopic phenomenological study

A damage-coupled unified constitutive model is developed for 316LN stainless steel based on the framework of the Abdel-Karim and Ohno model. In the modified model, a kinematic hardening coefficient related to accumulated plastic strain is introduced in the linear hardening term, and a damage coefficient is incorporated in the static recovery term. Meanwhile, the parameters of isotropic hardening and kinematic hardening are associated with the maximum plastic strain rate and plastic strain memory to describe the effects of dynamic strain aging and plastic strain memory. Additionally, the kinematic hardening coefficients and static recovery coefficients correlate with dwell time to simulate stress relaxation throughout the whole-life time. The comparison between the simulation and experimental results indicates the validity of the modified model under the conditions of low-cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue interaction. After identifying the material parameters using a combination of classic parameter determination methods and optimization algorithms, the cyclic stress response and hysteresis loops can be accurately simulated throughout the whole-life time.

Creep-fatigue behavior of nickel-based single crystal superalloy with different orientations: Experimental characterization and multi-scale simulation

In order to clarify the creep-fatigue interaction properties of nickel-based single crystal superalloys with different orientations, mechanical tests of [001], [011] and [111] orientations were conducted at 980°Cunder various stress states and microstructural characterization was performed. The results demonstrated that the creep-fatigue life was longest for the [111] orientation, followed by the [001] orientation, and the [011] orientation exhibited the lowest life. Furthermore, as stress levels increased, the life of specimens with different orientations decreased. Damage accumulation in specimens with various orientations was primarily influenced by the formation and growth of material micropores. Fracture analysis revealed that the failure of [001] and [111] oriented specimens resulted from a combination of multi-slip systems and micropore aggregation. Conversely, the fracture of [011] oriented specimens occurred due to a single slip system. Molecular dynamics simulation was employed to analyze the evolution of defects under creep-fatigue loading for different orientation models, further supporting the fracture mechanism. In addition, the life of the specimens was predicted using the crystal plasticity theory based on energy dissipation, and the results were within ±1.5 error bands.

Fatigue Behavior of the FGH96 Superalloy under High-Temperature Cyclic Loading.

Strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests and stress-controlled creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) tests on the FGH96 superalloy were carried out at 550 °C to obtain the cyclic softening/hardening characteristics at different strain amplitudes and ratcheting strain characteristics under different hold time. The failure mechanism of the FGH96 superalloy under different loading conditions was analyzed through fracture observations. The results show that the FGH96 superalloy exhibits different cyclic softening/hardening characteristics at different strain amplitudes, and the introduction of the hold time at peak stress exacerbates the ratcheting strain of the FGH96 superalloy under asymmetric stress cycles. Fracture observations show that the magnitude of the strain amplitude, high-temperature oxidation, and the introduction of the hold time will affect the mechanical properties of the FGH96 superalloy and change its fracture mode.

Neural network-assisted probabilistic creep-fatigue assessment of hydrogenation reactor with physics-based surrogate model

In order to obtain better hydrogenation reaction efficiency, the prospective hydrogenation reactor faces harsh working conditions, including the high-stress level, high-temperature environment, long creep dwell period and degradation of material resistance, leading to significant creep-fatigue interaction at the structural critical locations. The uncertainty widely existing in such design conditions further aggravates the creep-fatigue failure risk of the hydrogenation reactor structure, and makes the damage evolution and lifetime difficult to capture and predict. According to the latest appendix A15 of the R5 Procedure, a series of probabilistic analysis practices are delivered based on Volume 2/3 regarding creep-fatigue crack initiation. In this study, the probabilistic analysis for the hydrogenation reactor is implemented by the neural network-assisted creep-fatigue surrogate model under the probabilistic Linear Matching Method Framework (pLMM), with the superior balance between the computational efficiency and prediction accuracy fully achieved. The statistical distribution of structural creep-fatigue lifetime is investigated with the physics-based modelling technology, and the reliability-centred evaluation diagram and safety factors of the hydrogenation reactor are proposed for different reliability levels, which is dedicated to facilitating the risk management of crucial components in the hydrogen industry.

A robust life prediction model for a range of materials under creep-fatigue interaction loading conditions

This paper develops a robust creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) life prediction model which is superior to the existing methods. Specifically, the newly proposed creep damage incorporates the effect of creep strain, which introduces the critical creep strain energy density rate and creep strain evolution term. The predictions are carried out for various materials, including martensitic heat-resistant steel, austenitic stainless steel, nickel-based superalloy, and different loading conditions, including conventional CFI and hybrid-controlled CFI loadings. The results show that all of the tested data falls within ± 2.5 error band, demonstrating the broad applicability of the proposed model. Based on the proposed model, a continuous CFI failure envelope independent of material, temperature, and CFI loading type is proposed, with almost all the data points lying outside the envelope.

Low cycle fatigue and fatigue-creep interaction effects on softening behavior and life prediction of cast aluminum alloy at elevated temperature

In this study, a series of strain-controlled low-cycle-fatigue (LCF) and low-cycle-fatigue-creep (LCFC) experiments were conducted on a cast Al-Si-Cu alloy. LCF and LCFC experiments were performed at 250 ℃, 300 ℃ and 350 ℃ with three different strain amplitudes. The results showed significant softening behavior, with temperature affecting both the softening behavior and fatigue life. Interestingly, coupling creep at 250 ℃ was found to increase fatigue life. Microstructure evolution was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy, and it was found that the introduction of strain-dwell at the tensile peak caused the interaction of fatigue and creep, resulting in a large amount of plastic deformation that affected fatigue life. Two fracture models were proposed for LCF and LCFC tests at different temperatures, based on the microstructure evolution. Using the experimental data, a modified life prediction model was proposed, which demonstrated a better prediction ability than other traditional models in fatigue-creep life prediction under different temperature and strain amplitudes.

Experimental and constitutive modelling studies of type 316L stainless steel based on internal stress under low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue interaction

Low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) behaviour of 316L stainless steel at 550 °C were investigated using experimental and modelling approaches. Results demonstrate that friction and back stress contribute to the initial hardening stage, whereas the former is primarily responsible for the subsequent softening stage. Besides, friction stress also accounts for the non-masing feature and varied softening rate. Increasing holding time induces a rise followed by a decline in friction stress, while the back stress decreases steadily to a saturated value. Moreover, a short tensile holding duration leads to planar structures and higher dislocation density. However, a longer tensile holding time promotes dislocation annihilation and subgrains growth, and elongates dislocation cells. Finally, an improved viscoplastic constitutive model was proposed based on the internal stress analysis. The kinematic hardening rule was improved by considering the cycle-dependent plastic modulus and stress relaxation, and the non-masing and variable softening rate were captured by modifying the isotropic hardening rule. In addition, holding time-related factors were also coupled into the model. The proposed model is robust for describing the cyclic features under both LCF and CFI.

Crystal plasticity constitutive model and thermodynamics informed creep-fatigue life prediction model for Ni-based single crystal superalloy

Ni-based single crystal superalloys are the main constituent materials for aeroengine turbine blades. They are subjected to extensive in-service plastic deformation and creep-fatigue interaction, which can cause damage and failure and hence limit the turbine blade durability. In this study, a novel crystal plasticity-based constitutive model is proposed to predict the cyclic inelastic deformation of Ni-based single crystal superalloy under creep-fatigue loads, and the key aspects examined include cyclic strain hardening, ratcheting and stress relaxation behavior. The novelty of the model lies in the introduction of a dislocation density parameter in the kinematic hardening rule to describe the evolutionary characteristics of hysteresis loops. The constitutive model is implemented via the crystal plasticity finite element method and the predictions are in good agreement with experimental results. Furthermore, thermodynamic entropy generation is innovatively adopted as an indicator parameter for analysis of Ni-based single crystal creep-fatigue failure, and the corresponding creep and fatigue damage models are developed to evaluate the degree of damage. The half-life concept associated with the steady-state hysteresis loop is employed in the failure model to predict the creep-fatigue life without being limited by the computational efficiency of the crystal plasticity finite element method. The proposed model can well capture the characteristics of Ni-based single crystal creep-fatigue life, and the prediction falls within a scatter band of factor 2.0 compared to experimental results. The proposed creep-fatigue life prediction model is underpinned by deformation and failure mechanisms, which would provide a basis for accurate analysis and robust assessment of Ni-based single crystal superalloy performance and life.