Low Cycle Fatigue Tests Research Articles

A Spatial-Temporal Method for Early Prediction of Fatigue Crack Region and Orientation in Metallic Cellular Materials Using In-Situ Infrared Thermography (IRT)

This study seeks an early prediction method of crack failure location and orientation due to low cycle fatigue in additively manufactured metallic cellular materials by leveraging experimentally observed accumulation of plastic deformation. To study this, a novel spatial-temporal approach for analyzing Infrared Thermographic (IRT) video was developed to detect heat generated by local plastic deformation. The method was validated experimentally by conducting fully reversed low cycle fatigue tests of Inconel 718 (IN718) honeycomb specimens manufactured using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). Using the approach developed, results showed that localized heating due to plastic work could be detected and used for early prediction of the most probable path, and orientation of crack propagation. Furthermore, the method developed was found to be able to predict these results within the first 1.5% of the total life of the specimen apriori to crack initiation.

Low cycle fatigue properties and life prediction based on plastic work of back stress in a Zr-2.5Nb alloy

Pressure tubes of Zr-2.5Nb alloy in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors experience low cycle fatigue (LCF) due to cooling water flow and power fluctuations, which could be a factor destroying their structural integrity. Therefore, it is essential to systematically investigate their LCF properties and develop accurate life prediction models. Existing research primarily focuses on single-phase Zr alloys, leaving a gap in understanding the fatigue behavior and microstructural evolution of the dual-phase Zr-2.5Nb alloy. This study addressed these gaps by conducting LCF tests on the Zr-2.5Nb alloy under strain amplitudes ranging from ± 0.50 % to ± 1.5 % at room temperature. The results indicated that the cyclic response can be divided into three stages (Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ) based on the relative number of cycles. Cyclic softening/hardening originated from microstructural changes such as dislocation sub-structure, grain rotation, and texture evolution. A novel fatigue life prediction model was proposed based on the plastic work of back stress. For non-Masing materials, this model overcame the limitations of traditional plastic strain energy models and demonstrated higher prediction accuracy. This work contributes to a more accurate prediction of fatigue life in Zr alloys and provides new insights into their fatigue behavior and microstructure evolution under LCF conditions.

Full-field investigation of dissipative mechanisms and thermoelastic inversion effects within glass-fiber reinforced polyamides subjected to low-cycle fatigue

A comprehensive thermomechanical investigation has been conducted to study the local kinematic and calorimetric responses of wet glass-fiber reinforced polyamide 6.6 subjected to tensile-tensile low-cycle fatigue tests. Digital image correlation (DIC) and quantitative infrared thermography (QIRT) were combined simultaneously to monitor the onset and development of spatial heterogeneities. Fields of strain, strain rates, intrinsic dissipation and resulting thermoelastic sources were successively observed and thoroughly analyzed with regards to the main fiber orientation and water content. Areas of precocious heterogeneities were detected from the very beginning of the loading, roughly propagating along the main fiber orientation. A ratcheting effect induced by the positive mean stress was observed and accompanied by a slight cyclic creep of the specimens. At high water content, the thermoelastic inversion phenomenon appeared and progressively spread along the gage part of the specimen, highlighting both glassy and rubbery behavior of the samples investigated.

Lack of fusion-induced cracking effect on tensile and fatigue behaviours of laser powder-bed fusion-processed Ti-6Al-4V implant

In the laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) of Ti-6Al-4 V (Ti64) alloy, cracking defects often caused by lack-of-fusion (LoF) defects cannot be avoided. These defects strongly impact the structural stability of Ti64 implants. In this work, the influence of LoF defects on the tensile and fatigue behaviours of Ti64 implants at different energy densities is evaluated. Three primary approaches were used to characterise the LoF defects in the 10 mm gauge volume of near-net-shaped produced hourglass samples: Image-J software, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray computed tomography (µ-CT). A low-cycle fatigue (LCF) test at a stress ratio of −1 and an extensive fractography study of the fractured Ti64 samples were used to investigate the LoF porosity-induced cracking and fatigue effect. The tensile properties of Ti64 samples processed by the L-PBF are generally more affected by microstructural changes resulting from variations in energy density than by LoF defects. A fine microstructure enhances tensile strength, while a coarser microstructure favours ductility. This is evident in samples LPBF-AD and LPBF-BD1, which demonstrate finer and coarser microstructures but show the lowest (8.31 %) and highest ductility (17.58 %), respectively. The best and worst fatigue performance samples were LPBF-AD (600 MPa) and LPBF-BD2 (200 MPa), respectively, and LoF defects significantly impactedthis finding. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that cracks originate and propagate faster from the surfacethan the internal sites. As a result, the former demonstratesa negative effect on the fatigue life of L-PBF-processed Ti64 samples under cyclic loading. The sub-surface morphologies and pore formation with different energy densities are rationalised by high-fidelity thermal-fluid dynamics simulations.

Experimental characterization and numerical modeling of a frequency-independent viscoelastic damper

Conventional viscoelastic dampers (VED) exhibit significant frequency dependency, leading to variability in stiffness and damping properties at different excitation frequencies, which introduces uncertainties in their design and application in practical engineering. This study addresses this issue by developing a frequency-independent VED through comprehensive experimental characterization and numerical modeling. Four full-scale VEDs were designed and manufactured to explore its mechanical behavior. Cyclic loading tests were carried out under various loading conditions, including different strain amplitudes, loading frequencies, ambient temperatures, and low-cycle fatigue tests. Then, a frequency-independent mechanical model is proposed by combining an energy dissipation element with a nonlinear stiffness element in parallel. Finally, nonlinear dynamic time-history analyses were conducted on a steel frame with and without the VEDs at various ambient temperatures. The experimental results show that the developed VEDs maintain consistent hysteretic behavior across a range of frequencies, exhibit high mechanical stability under varying strain amplitudes and temperatures, and possess excellent recoverability after low-cycle fatigue test. The frequency-independent mechanical model developed in this study accurately simulates the hysteretic response of the developed VEDs, validating its applicability through experimental data. Seismic response analyses demonstrate considerable mitigations in inter-story drift ratios and residual inter-story drift ratios compared to the frame without dampers. These findings highlight the reliability and effectiveness of frequency-independent VEDs in structural vibration control, offering a promising solution for seismic performance enhancement.

Fatigue limit prediction of 7050 aluminium alloy based on experimental and shallow + deep hybrid neural network

7050 aluminium alloy, as an important lightweight high-strength structural material because of its excellent characteristics, has increasing applications in aviation, aerospace, and launch vehicle manufacturing. Fatigue failure accounts for approximately 80 % of the structural failures in the engineering field, which leads to numerous losses and is highly uncertain and sudden. Therefore, fatigue life prediction of 7050 aluminium alloy has become a prominent research field. In this study, considering the two variables of stress ratio and stress concentration coefficient, fatigue tests of 7050 aluminium alloy under five different working conditions were conducted to evaluate the effect of these factors on the durability of 7050 aluminium alloy. A novel hybrid neural network model was proposed to solve the time-consuming problem of obtaining a large amount of S-N curve data through traditional fatigue tests. The model uses relatively low cycle fatigue test data for training, realizes data derivation, accurately predicts the fatigue limit of materials, and realizes the purpose of quickly evaluating the fatigue properties of 7050 aluminium alloy materials under different working conditions.

Fatigue notch strengthening effect of nickel-based single crystal superalloys under different stress ratios

Nickel-based single crystal superalloys (Ni-SXs) are widely used in turbine blades of aircraft engines. With the increasing demand for higher temperature-bearing capacity, the introduction of film cooling holes, impingement holes, and trailing edge slots for cooling induces stress concentration, which compromises the structural integrity of the blades, generates complex multiaxial stress states, and adversely affects their operational performance. In this study, Ni-SXs, DD6, was utilized to investigate the influence of stress ratios on fatigue performance under complex stress states. Low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests were carried out at different stress ratios with stress concentration coefficient Kt = 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. The results indicate that the notched specimens exhibit a significant fatigue notch strengthening effect under high stress ratios. The fracture surface and microstructure also indicate that under high stress ratios loading, the notches exhibit significant creep failure characteristics. This means that the main cause of fatigue notch strengthening is similar to creep notch strengthening effect. A macroscopic anisotropic constitutive model coupled with damage was developed and applied to finite element analysis of notched specimens. The results demonstrate that as the stress ratio rises, the stress relaxation effect at the notch becomes more pronounced, yet the level of damage diminishes. Additionally, a stress-equivalent model based on Bridgman stress was proposed, which effectively unifies the lifetime trends of notched and smooth specimens, predicting lifetimes within a threefold error band.

Fatigue life modeling for a low alloy steel after long-term thermal aging

Fatigue failure of materials has a considerable impact on the safety of equipment in service. In this study, axially tensile and low cycle fatigue tests were conducted on a low alloy steel after accelerated thermal aged at 450 °C for 10,000 h. The experimental results indicate that the ultimate and yield strengths increase moderately, while the fatigue life of specimens experience a slight decrease in this circumstance. The fracture analysis demonstrates that the bainite breaking facilitates the fatigue crack initiation and propagation after thermal aging, which is accompanied by a decrease in plastic strain amplitude. Therefore, the plastic strain amplitude is considered as an indicator of thermal aging in fatigue life modeling for the low alloy steel. Finally, a novel life model that incorporates both aging time and temperature was proposed for rapid prediction of low cycle fatigue life. It is assumed that this model promotes reliable fatigue life prediction in low alloy steels under various thermal aging circumstances, as well as the extrapolation of fatigue performance of the material in service.

Effects of ultrasonic shot peening followed by surface mechanical rolling on mechanical properties and fatigue performance of 2024 aluminum alloy

Aiming to improve the mechanical properties and fatigue performance of 2024 aluminum alloy, the experimental investigations on composite treatment consisting of ultrasonic shot peening (USP) followed by surface mechanical rolling (SMR) were carried out. The experimental results were compared with the specimens only treated by USP or SMR in terms of surface roughness, microhardness gradient and microstructure observation. The uniaxial tension test and low cycle fatigue test were conducted on the as-received specimen and the ones treated by USP, SMR and USP/SMR composite treatment, respectively. The tensile mechanical properties were effectively improved by USP. The introduction of SMR following USP can significantly increase the number of cycles to failure. Combining fracture morphology analysis and DEM-FEM coupling simulation of USP/SMR composite treatment, it was concluded that the improvement of tensile mechanical properties is mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of the compressive residual stresses and gradient-structured layer produced by USP, and the decrease in surface roughness resulting from SMR is the main reason for the significant improvement of fatigue performance. This work could provide an insight into the surface strengthening mechanism for USP/SMR composite treatment of materials with respect to the improvement of mechanical properties and fatigue performance.

EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND STRAIN AMPLITUDE ON LOW-CYCLE FATIGUE PROPERTIES OF NICKEL-BASED SINGLE-CRYSTAL SUPERALLOY DD419

High-temperature and low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted on a nickel-based single-crystal superalloy DD419 under total strain-controlled conditions at 760 °C and 980 °C. The fatigue properties of the alloy are discussed by analysing the fatigue test data. Fracture morphology and dislocation structure were observed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. At the same strain amplitude, the results indicate that the plastic deformation of the alloy is larger at 980 °C compared to 760 °C. This leads to a lower fatigue strength and shorter fatigue life, along with more severe damage. The value of the strain amplitude affects the cyclic stress response behaviour of the alloy. Under low strain amplitudes, the cyclic stress response behaviour differs between 760 °C and 980 °C. The hysteresis loop exhibits similar shapes at 760 °C and 980 °C, with an increase in the area as the strain amplitude rises. The fatigue fracture analysis indicates that micropores on the surface are the primary fatigue sources at 760 °C, while oxides on the surface are the main fatigue source at 980 °C, leading to cracking due to multiple sources. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy reveals that the deformation mechanism involving dislocations at 760 °C primarily occurs through plane slip and wave slip, whereas at 980 °C, dislocations mainly move through cross slip and climb.

Dynamic strain ageing of austenitic Ni-based alloy during cyclic loading at 350 °C: Mechanism and its evolution

Dynamic strain ageing (DSA) in an austenitic Ni-based alloy was investigated by symmetric/asymmetric low cycle fatigue tests with different strain amplitudes at 350 °C. A quantitative analysis of DSA activity was provided in terms of the characteristic parameters (DSA transient and serration length), and associated microstructural features were explored. Particular attention was paid to the comparison in the DSA domain between Ni- and Fe-based austenite with different strain ratios. Results showed that DSA existed throughout life and led to the continuous cyclic hardening in austenitic Ni-based alloy. The DSA activity first decreased and remained almost constant under symmetric loadings. A gradual increase in DSA activity was observed for the asymmetric loadings before the final failure. In addition, a physical model was presented to explore the DSA mechanisms of austenitic Ni-based alloys in different temperature ranges. Specifically, at 350 °C, DSA is caused by C diffusion in austenite, while at higher temperatures, it may be caused by Cr diffusion. Moreover, for a given mechanism, the DSA occurred at a higher temperature range in Ni-based alloy than in Fe-based alloy.

Thermo-mechanical fatigue analysis of ferritic stainless steel STS444LM for exhaust manifold application

This work presents thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) life analysis of ferritic stainless steel STS444LM recently developed to enhance the durability of the automotive exhaust manifolds. To determine cyclic material properties, isothermal tensile and low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests at temperature ranging from 200 °C to 900 °C under two different strain rates of 0.1 %/s and 0.01 %/s are performed. Based on these tests, the unified Chaboche visco-plasticity model is determined. Then, the TMF test using the V-shaped specimen subjected to the temperature cycle from 250 to 850 – 950 °C with three different dwell times at the maximum temperature is performed. An energy-based model based on the Morrow model is determined using TMF test data by incorporating effects of the dwelling time and maximum temperature.

Analysis of high temperature and strain amplitude effects on low cycle fatigue behavior of pitting corroded killed E350 BR structural steel

High-tension structural steels are prone to accelerated fatigue damage from pitting corrosion and high-temperature. Despite adverse effects, research on their low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior is limited. Specifically, studies analyzing temperature-dependent pit sensitivity effects, considering pit-related material’s susceptibility to surface topographic features variation and stress concentration are lacking. This study conducts LCF tests on pitting corroded killed E350 BR structural steel at multiple strain amplitudes and high temperatures. It develops temperature-dependent parameters, such as the cyclic softening pit sensitivity factor, suitable for integration into existing approaches like total cyclic plastic strain energy density (CPSED), power-law, average strain energy density (SED), Coffin-Manson, and pit stress intensity factor (pit-SIF). Further, it proposes multiple linear regression-based prediction models relating total CPSED and average SED with strain amplitude and temperature. Corroded specimens show higher plastic deformation and reduced peak stress, fatigue life, and total CPSED compared to uncorroded ones. The developed parameters, integrated with average SED approach, predicts LCF life within an error band of ±1.5, while power-law relationship reduces it to ±1.2. Moreover, pit-SIF approach estimates fatigue life within an error band of ±1.5. The findings provide critical knowledge for enhanced component design, leading to structural safety, performance, and fire resilience.

Using physics-informed neural networks to predict the lifetime of laser powder bed fusion processed 316L stainless steel under multiaxial low-cycle fatigue loading

Axial-torsional Low-Cycle Fatigue (LCF) tests were conducted under strain control on Additively Manufactured (AM) 316L stainless steel using laser powder bed fusion. The tests covered various strain amplitudes under tension-compression, proportional, and pure shear loading paths. The AM 316L stainless steel exhibited cyclic softening and transgranular cracking under all the investigated loading conditions. The presence of deposition defects, predominantly the lack of fusion type, was identified as the main factor influencing the crack initiation and propagation, as well as the scatter in the fatigue lifetime. Therefore, to account for the damaging effects of these deposition related defects on fatigue lifetime, a novel physics-informed neural network was proposed. Subsequently, this neural network was combined with the critical plane approach, based on the tensile mode of failure, in order to predict the lifetime of AM 316L stainless steel. The predicted data exhibited a good correlation with the experimental results.

A modified cyclic elastoplastic constitutive model considering the variational dynamic recovery term of back stress for FGH95 under asymmetrical cyclic loading

The asymmetric cyclic loading process occurs in aero-engine turbine discs. A constitutive model that accurately describes the cyclic elastoplastic behaviour of the material is important for structural design and low cycle fatigue life prediction of turbine discs. In this paper, the low cycle fatigue test of FGH95 was carried out at 620℃ under 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8%, 0.9%, 1.0% and 1.1% strain amplitude with strain ratio equal to 0. The material exhibited cyclic hardening followed by cyclic softening at high strain amplitudes and cyclic softening at low strain amplitudes. The mean stress relaxation rate was similar for each strain amplitude. In addition, the evolution of effective stress and back stress was obtained through the method of internal stress division. Then, the relationship between the change in stress amplitude and the change in internal stress was discussed. The results showed that with cyclic loading, cyclic hardening/softening of FGH95 was affected by the competition mechanism of back and effective stresses. Considering that slip deformation and crystal lattice rotation coexist in plastic deformation, the dynamic recovery term of the Abdel-Karim and Ohno model was used. In order to characterize the different magnitudes of back stress change in materials at different plastic strain intervals, a dynamic recovery term coefficient was introduced to the dynamic recovery term and the critical surface of the back stress. The modified model was used to compare with experimental results. Then, it gives a good description of the material’s mean stress relaxation and strain amplitude variation and gives good agreement on the hysteresis loop.

Experimental study on low-cycle fatigue performance of high-strength bolted shear connections

In strong earthquakes, low-cycle fatigue fractures may occur in the bolted connections of steel braced frames. Ensuring a high low-cycle fatigue life for high-strength bolted connections is of paramount significance in enhancing the overall safety and collapse resistance of steel structures. Despite substantial research on plate fatigue failure within bolted connections, there remains a research gap regarding low-cycle fatigue failure of high-strength bolts in these connections. This study aims to address the aforementioned shortcomings by conducting 34 sets of low-cycle fatigue tests on high-strength bolted connections. The test specimens all experienced low-cycle shear fatigue fracture at the threaded or unthreaded portion of the bolt shank as the dominant failure mode. Residual deformations were observed in the holes of connection plates. Based on the test data, ultimate shear capacity of a single shear connection is around 0.61Fy (tensile yield bearing capacity of bolt) when the shear force passes through the unthreaded portion and drops to 0.54Fy for the shear force at the thread. The untreated Q355 (minimum yield strength of 355 MPa) steel surface has an average anti-slip coefficient of around 0.37, while milling reduces it to approximately 0.30. The influence patterns of loading amplitude, bolt material, minimum plate thickness, bolt diameter, shear force position and connection type on low-cycle fatigue life are given by range analysis. Among them, variance analysis shows that loading amplitude and bolt material are the primary influencing factors. The correlation coefficient between loading amplitude and low-cycle fatigue life is −0.92, indicating a strong negative correlation. The degradation amount and rate of anti-slip capacity and shear capacity of bolted connections are also investigated. To propose reliable life prediction method, three models were used to establish the relationship between dimensionless shear deformation and low-cycle fatigue life of 10.9-grade high-strength bolted connections. It is not appropriate to use the fatigue categories defined in current standards to predict the low-cycle shear fatigue life of high-strength bolted connections.

Low-Cycle Fatigue Damage Mechanism and Life Prediction of High-Strength Compacted Graphite Cast Iron at Different Temperatures.

Tensile and low-cycle fatigue tests of high-strength compacted graphite cast iron (CGI, RuT450) were carried out at 25 °C, 400 °C, and 500 °C, respectively. The results show that with the increase in temperature, the tensile strength decreases slowly and then decreases rapidly. The fatigue life decreases, and the life reduction increases at high temperature and high strain amplitude. The oxide layer appears around the graphite and cracks at high temperature, and the dependence of crack propagation on ferrite gradually decreases. With the increase in strain amplitude, the initial cyclic stress of compacted graphite cast iron increases at three temperatures, and the cyclic hardening phenomenon is obvious. The fatigue life prediction method based on the energy method and damage mechanism for compacted graphite cast iron is summarized and proposed after comparing and analyzing a large amount of fatigue data.

On the Mechanical Behavior of LP-DED C103 Thin-Wall Structures

Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LP-DED) can produce thin-wall features on the order of 1 mm. These features are essential for large structures operating in extreme environments such as regeneratively cooled nozzles and heat exchangers, which often make use of refractory metals. In this work, the mechanical behavior of LP-DED C103 was investigated via quasi-static tensile testing and low cycle fatigue (LCF) testing. The effects of vacuum stress relief (SR) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) heat treatments were investigated for specimens in the vertical and horizontal build orientations during tensile testing. The AB and SR properties were lower than literature values for wrought and laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) bulk components but higher than electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF). The application of a HIP cycle improved strength by 7% and ductility by 27% past the initial as-built condition. Fracture images reveal that interlayer stress concentration sites are responsible for fracture in specimens in the vertical orientation. Meanwhile, fracture in the horizontal specimens mainly propagates at a slanted angle typical of plane stress conditions. The LCF results show cycles to failure ranging from 100 cycles to 8000 cycles for max strain levels of 2% and 0.5%, respectively. Fractography on the fatigue specimens reveals an increasing propagation zone as max strain levels are increased. The impact of these findings and future work are discussed in detail.

Low cycle fatigue behavior of AZ31 magnesium alloy joined by friction stir welding

AbstractThis study, aims to weld the 5.2 mm thick AZ31 magnesium alloy with conventional friction stir welding at the highest joining efficiency. As a result of the experiments, 88% joining efficiency in tensile strength has been obtained at 1250 rpm, 400 mm.min−1 welding parameter. As a result of micro–macrostructure photographic examinations of the samples joined with these parameters, it is seen that the joining is fully realized. Samples joined with these parameters have been used in fatigue tests. According to the strain‐controlled low cycle fatigue test results performed on welded and base metal samples, the base metal samples have exceeded the 50,000‐cycle limit without failure, with an elongation rate of 0.3%, and the welded samples with an elongation rate of 0.2%. Low cycle fatigue parameters of welded and base metal samples have been obtained according to the Coffin‐Manson‐Basquin equation.

Physics-informed transfer learning model for fatigue life prediction of IN718 alloy

To address the challenges posed by inadequate data and data utilization in multiple scenarios of fatigue loading, a Physics-informed Transfer Learning (PITL) model has been developed to predict the fatigue life of IN718 superalloy. Strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue tests were carried out at 400 °C with three distinct strain ratios, which were subsequently segmented for individual transfer learning tests. PITL models with significant engineering value were built by integrating transfer learning methodologies rooted in TrAdaBoost with a physics-based model that hinges on the principles of equivalent strain theory. The findings suggest that PITL models exhibit improved accuracy and greater robustness compared to both transfer learning and physics models.