Microstructure and Strain-Based Fatigue Life Approach for High-Performance Welds

2014 ◽  
Vol 891-892 ◽  
pp. 1500-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikki Remes ◽  
Pauli Lehto ◽  
Jani Romanoff

Microstructure and pre-existing surface flaws in smooth notch geometries significantly affect the fatigue life of welded joints. Traditionally, a welded joint is assumed to incorporate crack-like defects and the crack propagation dominates the total fatigue life. For a smooth weld notch geometry, the macro crack initiation period becomes more significant, and this difference cannot be modelled with the existing stress or fracture mechanics ‑based approaches. In this paper, a microstructure and strain ‑based fatigue life approach is presented. In the approach, the fatigue damage process is modelled as a repeated crack initiation process within a material volume related to the microstructure. The novelty of the developed approach is that the size of the damage zone is defined from the grain size statistics without using fracture mechanics. The approach is able to consider the changes in the stress gradient, stress triaxiality and plasticity during the fatigue crack initiation and growth. The developed approach has been validated with experiments on submerged-arc and laser-hybrid welded joints. The predicted fatigue life, crack growth path and rate showed good agreement with the experiments. For a welded joint with smooth and favourable notch shape, the short crack growth, i.e. macro crack initiation period is dominant and it has a significant influence on the fatigue life.

2013 ◽  
Vol 577-578 ◽  
pp. 429-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukio Miyashita ◽  
Kyohei Kushihata ◽  
Toshifumi Kakiuchi ◽  
Mitsuhiro Kiyohara

Fatigue Property of an Extruded AZ61 Magnesium Alloy with the Processing Layer Introduced by Machining was Investigated. Rotating Bending Fatigue Tests were Carried out with the Specimen with and without the Processing Layer. According to Results of the Fatigue Tests, Fatigue Life Significantly Increased by Introducing the Processing Layer to the Specimen Surface. Fatigue Crack Initiation and Propagation Behaviors were Observed by Replication Technique during the Fatigue Test. Fatigue Crack Initiation Life of the Specimen with the Processing Layer was Slightly Longer than that of the Specimen without the Processing Layer. Higher Fatigue Crack Growth Resistance was also Observed when the Fatigue Crack was Growing in the Processing Layer in the Specimen with the Processing Layer. the Longer Fatigue Life Observed in the Fatigue Test in the Specimen with the Processing Layer could be Mainly due to the Higher Crack Growth Resistance. it is Speculated that the Fatigue Strength can be Controlled by Change in Condition of Machining Process. it could be Effective way in Industry to Improved Fatigue Strength only by the Cutting Process without Additional Surface Treatment Process.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash P Jirandehi ◽  
TN Chakherlou

Fatigue life estimation accuracy of mechanical parts and assemblies has always been the source of concern in different industries. The main contribution of this article lies in a study on the accuracy of different multiaxial fatigue criteria, proposing and investigating the accuracy of four optimized fatigue crack initiation life estimation methods—volume, weighted volume, surface and point, thereby improving the multiaxial fatigue life estimation accuracy. In order to achieve the goal, the fatigue lives of bolt clamped specimens, previously tested under defined experimental conditions, were estimated during fatigue crack initiation and fatigue crack growth and then summed together. In the fatigue crack initiation part, a code was written and used in the MATLAB software environment based on critical plane approach and the different multiaxial fatigue criteria. Besides the AFGROW software was utilized to estimate the crack growth share of fatigue life. Experimental and numerical results showed to be in agreement. Furthermore, detailed study and comparison of the results with the available experimental data showed that a combination of Smith–Watson–Topper approach and volume method results in lower error values, while a combination of Fatemi–Socie criterion and surface or point method presents estimated lives with lower error values. In addition, the numerical proposed procedure resulted in a good prediction of the location of fatigue crack initiation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 889-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Chan ◽  
M. P. Enright

This paper summarizes the development of a probabilistic micromechanical code for treating fatigue life variability resulting from material variations. Dubbed MICROFAVA (micromechanical fatigue variability), the code is based on a set of physics-based fatigue models that predict fatigue crack initiation life, fatigue crack growth life, fatigue limit, fatigue crack growth threshold, crack size at initiation, and fracture toughness. Using microstructure information as material input, the code is capable of predicting the average behavior and the confidence limits of the crack initiation and crack growth lives of structural alloys under LCF or HCF loading. This paper presents a summary of the development of the code and highlights applications of the model to predicting the effects of microstructure on the fatigue crack growth response and life variability of the α+β Ti-alloy Ti-6Al-4V.


2005 ◽  
Vol 297-300 ◽  
pp. 781-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Woo Han ◽  
Seung Ho Han ◽  
Byung Chun Shin ◽  
Jae Hoon Kim

The fatigue life of welded joints is associated with crack initiation and propagation life. Theses cannot be easily separated, since the definition of crack initiation is vague due to the initiation of multiple cracks that are distributed randomly along the weld toes. In this paper a method involving a notch strain and fracture mechanical approach, which considers the characteristics of welded joints, e.g. welding residual stress and statistical characteristics of multiple cracks, is proposed, in an attempt to reasonably estimate these fatigue lives. The fatigue crack initiation life was evaluated statistically, e.g. the probability of occurrence in 2.3, 50 and 97.7%, in which the cyclic response of the local stress/strain in the vicinity of the weld toes and notch factors derived by the irregular shape of the weld bead are taken into account. The fatigue crack propagation life was simulated in consideration of the Mk-factor and the mechanical behavior of mutual interaction/coalescence between two adjacent cracks. The estimated total fatigue life as a sum of crack initiation and propagation life was found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.


Author(s):  
K. S. Chan ◽  
M. P. Enright

This paper summarizes the development of a probabilistic micromechanical code for treating fatigue life variability resulting from material variations. Dubbed MicroFaVa (Micromechanical Fatigue Variability), the code is based on a set of physics-based fatigue models that predict fatigue crack initiation life, fatigue crack growth life, fatigue limit, fatigue crack growth threshold, crack size at initiation, and fracture toughness. Using microstructure information as material input, the code is capable of predicting the average behavior and the confidence limits of the crack initiation and crack growth lives of structural alloys under LCF or HCF loading. This paper presents a summary of the development of the code and highlights applications of the model to predicting the effects of microstructure on the fatigue crack growth response and life variability of the α + β Ti-alloy Ti-6Al-4V.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Zhao ◽  
Gen Liu ◽  
Desheng Xu ◽  
Chunhua Hu ◽  
Yu Liu

Fatigue life tests and fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) tests in the air and water environment were conducted on X80 pipeline steel welded joints (welded by CO2 arc welding). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were utilized to investigate the internal influential mechanisms of the water environment during fatigue crack initiation and propagation stages, respectively. Results show that a great many oxide particles induced by the water environment gradually formed the fatigue crack initiation site and decreased fatigue life of welded joints. Meanwhile, the preferred grain orientation of <001>//ND and CSL boundaries of Σ3, Σ11, Σ13c, Σ17b, Σ25a, and Σ25b are both prone to fatigue propagation when loading in the water environment. In addition, a coalescence of the stress intensity factor (SIF) range and water environment accelerated FCGR by motivating secondary slip systems of {112}<111> and {123}<111> in bcc crystalline structures.


Author(s):  
Kazuki Takashima ◽  
Timothy P. Halford ◽  
Yakichi Higo

We have developed a new type of mechanical testing machine for micro-sized specimens, which can apply a small static or cyclic load, and have investigated fracture and fatigue crack growth behavior of micro-sized specimens. Cantilever beam type specimens (10 μm × 10 μm × 50 μm), with notches were prepared from thin films of a Ni-P amorphous alloy by focused ion beam machining. Fatigue and fracture toughness tests were carried out in air at room temperature using the mechanical testing machine. Fatigue and fracture testing was completed successfully for micro-sized cantilever specimens. Once fatigue crack growth occurs, rapid sample failure was observed in these micro-sized specimens. This indicates that the fatigue life of micro-sized specimens is mainly dominated by crack initiation. This also suggests that even a micro-sized surface flaw can be a fatigue crack initiation site which will shorten the fatigue life of micro-sized specimens. As a result of fracture toughness tests, plane strain criteria for small scale yielding were not achieved for this amorphous alloy. Plane stress and plane strain dominated regions were clearly observed on the fracture surfaces and their sizes were consistent with those estimated by fracture mechanics calculations. This suggests that fracture mechanics is still valid for such micro-sized specimens.


Author(s):  
Masayuki Kamaya

Fatigue life can be divided into cycles of crack initiation and those in which the initiated crack grows to macroscopic size. In crack growth analysis, it is possible to consider the effect of the strain or stress gradient in the depth direction on the fatigue life. Therefore, flaw tolerance assessments allow reasonable fatigue life prediction. The fatigue life is reduced in the primary water environment of pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants, and the correction factor Fen is used for considering the fatigue life reduction in fatigue damage assessments. To apply the flaw tolerance concept to a PWR water environment, the correction factor must be applied not to the fatigue life but to the number of cycles for crack growth. In this study, the fatigue life reduction in the PWR environment was correlated to the crack growth acceleration for a flaw tolerance assessment. The crack growth rates were obtained from fatigue life tests and crack growth tests performed in the PWR environment using Type 316 stainless steel. Then, the fatigue life was estimated by predicting the crack growth from an initial depth of 20 μm. It was concluded that a reasonable flaw tolerance assessment can be performed by using the strain intensity factor. The fatigue life reduction was successfully replaced with the crack growth acceleration.


1985 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Sakai ◽  
T. Kikuchi ◽  
T. Tanaka ◽  
K. Fujitani

To examine the statistical fatigue life properties of welded joints, fatigue tests were performed on a number of butt-welded specimens, in parallel with similar tests conducted on small specimens spliced from larger butt-welded plates. Based on a statistical test, it was concluded that the distribution characteristics of crack initiation life for the butt-welded joint were successfully evaluated by the results for the spliced specimens for a certain definition of the crack initiation. The definition of crack initiation was based on a fracture mechanics similitute approach.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyao Jiang ◽  
Miaolin Feng

Fatigue crack propagation was modeled by using the cyclic plasticity material properties and fatigue constants for crack initiation. The cyclic elastic-plastic stress-strain field near the crack tip was analyzed using the finite element method with the implementation of a robust cyclic plasticity theory. An incremental multiaxial fatigue criterion was employed to determine the fatigue damage. A straightforward method was developed to determine the fatigue crack growth rate. Crack propagation behavior of a material was obtained without any additional assumptions or fitting. Benchmark Mode I fatigue crack growth experiments were conducted using 1070 steel at room temperature. The approach developed was able to quantitatively capture all the important fatigue crack propagation behaviors including the overload and the R-ratio effects on crack propagation and threshold. The models provide a new perspective for the R-ratio effects. The results support the notion that the fatigue crack initiation and propagation behaviors are governed by the same fatigue damage mechanisms. Crack growth can be treated as a process of continuous crack nucleation.


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