Microstructure-sensitive Fatigue Model Research Articles

Effect of Post-Deposition Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Behavior and Deformation Mechanisms of a Solid-State Additively Manufactured Al–Mg–Si Alloy

Abstract The effects of post-deposition heat treatment on the fatigue behavior of AA6061 processed by additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) were investigated for the first time in this work. A heat treatment to recover the T6 temper was performed on AFSD AA6061 is then subjected to strain-controlled fatigue and monotonic tension testing. Microstructural analysis revealed abnormal grain growth resulting in bimodal grain size distribution. Mechanical testing indicated a full recovery of the strength of the AA6061-T6 temper with comparable fatigue performance to the as-deposited AFSD AA6061. Fractography revealed deformation mechanisms in the post-deposition heat treatment not observed in the as-deposited samples, however, the fatigue resistance remained unchanged. A microstructure-sensitive fatigue model was implemented to capture the effects of the heat treatment process on the fatigue performance of the post-deposition heat-treated AFSD AA6061.

Effect of Thermomechanical Processing on Fatigue Behavior in Solid-State Additive Manufacturing of Al-Mg-Si Alloy

This work presents, for the first time, an in-depth investigation of the structure–property–fatigue relationships of an Al-Mg-Si alloy (AA6061) processed via additive friction stir-deposition (AFS-D). As industry focus continues to shift for more efficient and lightweight structures, quantitative studies on the cyclic performance of additively manufactured materials are needed. In this study, the AFS-D processed AA6061-T6 was machined into specimens in two orthogonal orientations and subjected to monotonic and strain-controlled fatigue testing. The microstructural features of as-deposited AA6061 exhibited evidence of dynamic recrystallization and grain refinement. In addition, significant reduction in the intermetallic particles was observed after AFS-D processing. The fatigue results demonstrate that the as-deposited material, particularly the longitudinal direction, exhibited similar fatigue performance to wrought AA6061-T6 in both low-cycle and high-cycle fatigue regimes, which is a promising result for additively manufactured material in the as-deposited condition. By contrast, the as-deposited build direction orientation possessed slightly lower fatigue resistance than the wrought feedstock material. The AFS-D material was observed to exhibit different damage mechanisms from porosity-based damage mechanisms observed in fusion-based additively manufactured materials. Lastly, a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model was employed to capture the fatigue effects of the AFS-D processing on the AA6061.

Characterization of fatigue behavior of Al-Li alloy 2099

Experiments and modeling were performed to quantify the microstructure-fatigue properties relationship of wrought aluminum-lithium alloy 2099 (AA2099) plate. Microstructural morphology was examined via optical microscopy, SEM, and TEM techniques. The mechanical properties were determined through monotonic tensile and fully reversed fatigue testing. The rolled AA2099 was shown to have large elongated columnar grains several millimeters long. Metastable secondary phases, T1 and δ′, were observed and provided strength to the material. Fractography determined fatigue cracks initiate from copper-rich constituent particles. These particles ranged from 1 to 25 μm in size, with an average size of 12 μm. The size of these intermetallic Cu-rich particles influenced the fatigue life of AA2099. Lastly, a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model was used to correlate the various effects of intermetallic particle sizes on the fatigue life of AA2099.

Corrosion effects on fatigue behavior of dissimilar friction stir welding of high-strength aluminum alloys

This paper examines the effects of corrosion defects on the low-cycle fatigue performance of dissimilar friction stir welded AA6061-to-AA7050 aluminum alloys. Corrosion defects were produced on the crown surface of the weld by static immersion in 3.5% NaCl for various exposure times. Results revealed localized corrosion damage in the thermo-mechanically affected and heat-affected zones. The corrosion damage featured general pitting, pit clustering, and exfoliation that revealed increasing depth with increasing exposure time. The higher corrosion attack was measured in the AA7050 compared to the AA6061. Results demonstrated a decrease in the fatigue life with evidence of crack initiation at the corrosion defects; however, the fatigue life was nearly independent of the exposure time. This can be attributed to total fatigue life dominated by incubation time. Furthermore, two types of failure were observed: crack propagation in the AA6061 side at high-strain amplitudes (> 0.3%) and crack propagation in the AA7050 side at low-strain amplitudes (< 0.2%). This can be attributed to the cyclic strain hardening evolution and the localized high-stress field at the tip of the corrosion defect. Lastly, a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model was employed to capture the effect of corrosion defects for the life prediction of the dissimilar friction stir welded AA6061-to-AA7050.

Fatigue Behavior and Modeling of Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V Including Interlayer Time Interval Effects

The effects of different cooling rates, as achieved by varying the interlayer time interval, on the fatigue behavior of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V specimens were investigated and modeled via a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model. Comparisons are made between two sets of specimens fabricated via Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS™), with variance in interlayer time interval accomplished by depositing either one or two specimens per print operation. Fully reversed, strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted, with fractography following specimen failure. A microstructure-sensitive fatigue model was calibrated to model the fatigue behavior of both sets of specimens and was found to be capable of correctly predicting the longer fatigue lives of the single-built specimens and the reduced scatter of the double-built specimens; all data points fell within the predicted upper and lower bounds of fatigue life. The time interval effects and the ability to be modeled are important to consider when producing test specimens that are smaller than the production part (i.e., property–performance relationships).

Utilization of a microstructure sensitive fatigue model for additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V

Purpose The purpose of this study is to calibrate a microstructure-based fatigue model for its use in predicting fatigue life of additively manufactured (AM) Ti-6Al-4V. Fatigue models that are capable of better predicting the fatigue behavior of AM metals is required to further the adoption of such metals by various industries. The trustworthiness of AM metallic material is not well characterized, and fatigue models that consider unique microstructure and porosity inherent to AM parts are needed. Design/methodology/approach Various Ti-6Al-4V samples were additively manufactured using Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS), a direct laser deposition method. The porosity within the LENS samples, as well as their subsequent heat treatment, was varied to determine the effects of microstructure and defects on fatigue life. The as-built and heat-treated LENS samples, together with wrought Ti-6Al-4V samples, underwent fatigue testing and microstructure and fractographic inspection. The collected microstructure/defect statistics were used for calibrating a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model. Findings Fatigue lives of the LENS Ti-6Al-4V samples were found to be consistently less than those of the wrought Ti-6Al-4V samples, and this is attributed to the presence of pores/defects within the LENS material. Results further indicate that LENS Ti-6Al-4V fatigue lives, as predicted by the used microstructure-sensitive fatigue model, are in close agreement with experimental results. The used model could predict upper and lower prediction bounds based on defect statistics. All the fatigue data were found to be within the bounds predicted by the microstructure-sensitive fatigue model. Research limitations/implications To further test the utility of microstructure-sensitive fatigue models for predicting fatigue life of AM samples, future studies on additional material types, additive manufacturing processes and heat treatments should be conducted. Originality/value This study shows the utility of a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model for use in predicting the fatigue life of LENS Ti-6Al-4V with various levels of porosity and while in a heat-treated condition.

Low-cycle fatigue of dissimilar friction stir welded aluminum alloys

In this work, experiments were conducted to quantify structure-property relations of low-cycle fatigue behavior of dissimilar friction stir welding (FSW) of AA6061-to-AA7050 high strength aluminum alloys. In addition, a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model is employed to further elucidate cause-effect relationships. Experimental strain-controlled fatigue testing revealed an increase in the cyclic strain hardening and the number-of cycles to failure as the tool rotational speed was increased. At higher applied strain amplitudes (>0.3%), the corresponding stress amplitude increased and the plastic strain amplitude decreased, as the number of cycles increased. However, at 0.2% strain amplitude, the plastic strain decreased until it was almost negligible. Inspection of the hysteresis loops demonstrated that at low strain amplitudes, there was an initial stage of strain hardening that increased until it reached a maximum strain hardening level, afterwards a nearly perfect elastic behavior was observed. Under fully-reversed fatigue loading, all samples failed at the region between the heat-affected and thermomechanically-affected zones. Inspection of the fractured surfaces under scanning electron microscopy revealed that the cracks initiated at either the crown or the root surface of the weld, and from secondary intermetallic particles located near the free surface of the weld. Lastly, a microstructure-sensitive multistage fatigue model was employed to correlate the fatigue life of the dissimilar FSW of AA6061-to-AA7050 considering microstructural features such as grain size, intermetallic particles and mechanical properties.

Effects of microstructural inclusions on fatigue life of polyether ether ketone (PEEK)

In this study, the effects of microstructural inclusions on fatigue life of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) was investigated. Due to the versatility of its material properties, the semi-crystralline PEEK polymer has been increasingly adopted in a wide range of applications particularly as a biomaterial for orthopedic, trauma, and spinal implants. To obtain the cyclic behavior of PEEK, uniaxial fully-reversed strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted at ambient temperature and at 0.02mm/mm to 0.04mm/mm strain amplitudes. The microstructure of PEEK was obtained using the optical and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine the microstructural inclusion properties in PEEK specimen such as inclusion size, type, and nearest neighbor distance. SEM analysis was also conducted on the fracture surface of fatigue specimens to observe microstructural inclusions that served as the crack incubation sites. Based on the experimental strain-life results and the observed microstructure of fatigue specimens, a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model was used to predict the fatigue life of PEEK that includes both crack incubation and small crack growth regimes. Results show that the employed model is applicable to capture microstructural effects on fatigue behavior of PEEK.

A Fatigue Model for Discontinuous Particulate-Reinforced Aluminum Alloy Composite: Influence of Microstructure

In this paper, the use of a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model is put forth for the analysis of discontinuously reinforced aluminum alloy metal matrix composite. The fatigue model was used for a ceramic particle-reinforced aluminum alloy deformed under conditions of fully reversed strain control. Experimental results revealed the aluminum alloy to be strongly influenced by volume fraction of the particulate reinforcement phase under conditions of strain-controlled fatigue. The model safely characterizes the evolution of fatigue damage in this aluminum alloy composite into the distinct stages of crack initiation and crack growth culminating in failure. The model is able to capture the specific influence of particle volume fraction, particle size, and nearest neighbor distance in quantifying fatigue life. The model yields good results for correlation of the predicted results with the experimental test results on the fatigue behavior of the chosen aluminum alloy for two different percentages of the ceramic particle reinforcement. Further, the model illustrates that both particle size and volume fraction are key factors that govern fatigue lifetime. This conclusion is well supported by fractographic observations of the cyclically deformed and failed specimens.

Role of different material processing methods on the fatigue behavior of an AZ31 magnesium alloy

The influence of extrusion, plate rolling, and sheet rolling on the fatigue life of an AZ31 magnesium alloy is investigated with a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model that comprises both crack incubation and growth stages. The model describes the effect of primary processing on the microstructure by incorporating specific mechanical properties and microstructural attributes such as grain and inclusion sizes. As such, the fatigue model successfully captured the experimentally observed differences in fatigue lifetimes of the Mg alloy due to the induced in-plane constraint effects resulting from different material processing methods. Quantitative prediction of cumulative damage due to cyclic loading and its comparison with experimental data is described in detail.

Low-cycle fatigue damage mechanisms of FCC and BCC polycrystals: homologous behaviour?: Magnin, T., Ramade, C., Lepinoux, J. and Kubin, L. P. Mater. Sci. Eng. A Oct. 1989 A118, (1–2), 41–51

In this study, the effects of microstructural inclusions on fatigue life of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) was investigated. Due to the versatility of its material properties, the semi-crystralline PEEK polymer has been increasingly adopted in a wide range of applications particularly as a biomaterial for orthopedic, trauma, and spinal implants. To obtain the cyclic behavior of PEEK, uniaxial fully-reversed strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted at ambient temperature and at 0.02 mm/mm to 0.04 mm/mm strain amplitudes. The microstructure of PEEK was obtained using the optical and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine the microstructural inclusion properties in PEEK specimen such as inclusion size, type, and nearest neighbor distance. SEM analysis was also conducted on the fracture surface of fatigue specimens to observe microstructural inclusions that served as the crack incubation sites. Based on the experimental strain-life results and the observed microstructure of fatigue specimens, a microstructure-sensitive fatigue model was used to predict the fatigue life of PEEK that includes both crack incubation and small crack growth regimes. Results show that the employed model is applicable to capture microstructural effects on fatigue behavior of PEEK.