Damage accumulation near the cold-expanded hole due to high-cycle fatigue by crack compliance method

The novel destructive method is implemented for quantitative assessment of fatigue damage accumulation in the stress concentration zone accompanied by residual stress due to cold expansion of the through-thickness hole. Damage accumulation is reached by preliminary cyclic loading of plane specimens with cold-expanded holes. Narrow notches, emanating from the hole edge at different stages of high-cycle fatigue, serve to manifest a damage level. These notches are inserted without applying external load. Deformation response to local material removing, caused by pure residual stress influence, is measured by electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) in terms of in-plane displacement components. Normalized values of the notch mouth open displacement (NMOD), in-plane displacement component at the initial point of the notch acting in the notch direction (U0), in-plane displacement component at the final point of the notch acting in the notch direction (U1) and the stress intensity factor (SIF) are used as current damage indicators. Numerical integration of curves, describing an evolution of each fracture mechanics parameter over lifetime, produces the damage accumulation function in an explicit form. It is established that all four fracture mechanics parameters give very close results.

Contact fatigue life prediction of rolling bearing considering machined surface integrity

Purpose Rolling bearings often cause engineering accidents due to early fatigue failure. The study of early fatigue failure mechanism and fatigue life prediction does not consider the integrity of the bearing surface. The purpose of this paper is to find new rolling contact fatigue (RCF) life model of rolling bearing. Design/methodology/approach An elastic-plastic finite element (FE) fatigue damage accumulation model based on continuous damage mechanics is established. Surface roughness, surface residual stress and surface hardness of bearing rollers are considered. The fatigue damage and cumulative plastic strain during RCF process are obtained. Mechanism of early fatigue failure of the bearing is studied. RCF life of the bearing under different surface roughness, hardness and residual stress is predicted. Findings To obtain a more accurate calculation result of bearing fatigue life, the bearing surface integrity parameters should be considered and the elastic-plastic FE fatigue damage accumulation model should be used. There exist the optimal surface parameters corresponding to the maximum RCF life. Originality/value The elastic-plastic FE fatigue damage accumulation model can be used to obtain the optimized surface integrity parameters in the design stage of bearing and is helpful for promote the development of RCF theory of rolling bearing.

PROCEDURE AND ALGORITHM FOR DETERMINING THE COEFFICIENT OF THE FREIGHT WAGON STABILITY IN COMPLIANCE WITH CURRENT REQUIREMENTS

Improving the reliability of test results is achieved by applying more advanced methods of recording and processing the results. Therefore, an important part of the study of the strength of freight wagons is the choice of methods for obtaining, processing and analyzing experimental data. The article outlines the procedure and algorithms for determining the equivalent stresses under longitudinal and dynamic loads acting during operation. It is shown that algorithms for determining stresses generated by dynamic longitudinal and vertical forces are significantly different due to various load application schemes. Thus, the testing of freight wagons under dynamic longitudinal loads is carried out by the impact against an experimental wagon, and testing under dynamic vertical forces is performed during the wagon motion in the composition of the experimental train on the characteristic, pre-selected (planned) sections of the railway track at specified speeds. To estimate the level of loading of the freight wagon structureunder vertical dynamic loads, a method based on the replacement of a real random process is used by some schematized process, which in terms of the fatigue damage accumulation should be equivalent to a real process. From the whole variety of schematic methods, two methods stand out, i.e., the full cycle method and the rainflow method, which most fully represent the real process.The advantage of the rainflow method is the ability to process the process in real time. However, the algorithm of the rainflow method is quite complicated and does not allow processing large amounts of information. In this regard, a method of maximum discharge was proposed, which is a kind of full cycles method and allows you to process an unlimited amount of information online. An example specified in GOST 25.101 was used for a comparative analysis of the rainflow and maximum discharge methods. Analysis showed a satisfactory matching of both methods. Based on the procedure outlined, the block structure of the computational process is proposed to determine the equivalent reduced voltage amplitude. Each block displays the impact of the forces depending on the loading condition, that is, longitudinal impact force and dynamic forces when the wagon is moving on straight track sections, curves and switches of the railway track. Key words: wagon car, process, dynamic load, longitudinal load, voltage, amplitude, algorithm, equivalent stress, safety margin, strength.

Effect of polygon-shaped wheels on fatigue fracture of fastener clips in high-speed railway lines

This paper studies the effect of wheel polygonalization and material properties on the fatigue failure of fastener clips in high-speed railway lines and puts forward the corresponding inhibition measures. Vibration frequencies excited by 24th-order wheel out-of-roundness (OOR) were analysed by on-site tests of the axle box vertical vibration acceleration. A finite element modelling method of polygon-shaped wheels was proposed, which was verified by comparing the field measurement with the dynamic simulation. The dynamic response of the fastener clip was simulated by using a rigid–flexible coupled model of the wheelset-track system. The effect of amplitudes as well as typical wavelengths of wheel OOR on the fracture of the clip was analysed based on the Miner fatigue damage accumulation ruler. The results show that when the wheelset ran at 237 km/h on the track, the 24th-order wheel OOR had no obvious effect on the Mises equivalent stress of the clip. When the amplitude of the 24th-order wheel OOR reached 0.225 mm and above, excited vibrations of about 1172 Hz were transmitted from the wheelset-rail system to the fastener systems, thus reducing the safe operating life of the clips. This phenomenon can be inhibited by setting a reasonable amplitude threshold for wheel re-profiling. Wheel eccentric wear (first-order OOR) and 12th-order OOR had lesser effects on the fatigue failure of the clip. The decrease of Poisson’s ratio or the increase of Young’s modulus of the material could cause the maximum Mises equivalent stress at the clip to increase, which might induce cracks, thus leading to the fracture of the clip. Therefore, during the production process, the Poisson’s ratio and Young’s modulus of fastener clips should be strictly controlled to ensure that they are within the permitted range.

VIRTUAL HULL MONITORING: CONTINUOUS FATIGUE ASSESSMENT WITHOUT ADDITIONAL INSTRUMENTATION

A novel technique to monitor hull stresses using data currently collected on most ships is explored. This technique, referred to herein as virtual hull monitoring, uses global position signals, measured or numerically-modelled wave data, and a database of calculated stress transfer functions. This enables monitoring of short-term stress states and corresponding fatigue damage accumulation for many structural locations, either onboard or at a central location, for an entire fleet. The components, benefits, and limitations of this proposed technique are discussed. Wave buoy and strain gauge measurements from a full-scale naval vessel trial are used in comparisons with hindcast wave data and the calculated stress spectra for one structural location. Close agreement between the wave data sources and corresponding stress spectra warrants further examination of virtual hull monitoring. 

Latest Development in Physics-Based Modeling of Coiled Tubing Plasticity and Fatigue

Summary Coiled tubing (CT) integrity is critical for well intervention operations in the field. To monitor and manage tubing integrity, the industry has developed a number of computer models over the past decades. Among them, low-cycle fatigue (LCF) modeling plays a paramount role in safeguarding tubing integrity. LCF modeling of CT strings dates back to the 1980s. Recently, novel algorithms have contributed to developments in physics-based modeling of tubing fatigue and plasticity. When CT trips into and out of the well, it goes through bending/straightening cycles under high differential pressure. Such tough conditions lead to low- or ultralow-cycle fatigue, limiting CT useful life. The model proposed in this study is derived from a previous one and is based on rigorously derived material parameters to compute the evolution of state variables from a wide range of loading conditions. Through newly formulated plasticity and strain parameters, a physics-based damage model predicts CT fatigue life, along with diametral growth and wall thinning. The revised modeling approach gives results for CT damage accumulation, diametral growth, and wall thinning under realistic field conditions, with experimental validation. For 20 different CT alloys, it was observed that the model improved in accuracy overall by approximately 18.8% and consistency by 14.0%, for constant pressure data sets of more than 4,500 data points. The modeling results provide insights into the nonlinear nature of fatigue damage accumulation. This study allowed developing recommendations to guide future analytical modeling and experimental investigations, summarize theoretical findings in physics-based LCF modeling, and provide practical guidelines for CT string management in the field. The study provides a fundamental understanding of CT LCF and introduces novel algorithms in plasticity and damage.

Methods for calculation and experimental evaluation of nucleation and development of the fatigue damages in tin based babbitt and babbitt lining of plain bearings

Fatigue damage to babbitt layers of plain bearings is often manifested during operation. The goal of the study is to develop a model for accumulation of the fatigue damage and destruction of antifriction materials and layers of plain bearings. A generalized fatigue diagram of tin-based babbitts including the main stages of fatigue damage and a diagram of the fatigue damage development in the antifriction layer of plain bearings are presented. The generalized model of V. V. Bolotin for damage accumulation and destruction is modified with regard to antifriction materials containing rather large structural elements. An explicit (direct) modeling of damage processes appeared possible for such materials. The model describes dissipated accumulation of microcracks (interpreted as destruction of the elements of the material structure), initiation and development of a system of short cracks, initiation and development of macro-cracks up to the limit state of the object. The model suggests discretization of the volume into sections with constant levels of complex stress state and discretization of the time axis into the intervals (blocks of loading cycles). The problem of identifying the parameters of a multistage model of the fatigue damage accumulation in the alloy is solved proceeding from the analysis of the results of testing babbitt specimens. We used the simplest optimization procedure, i.e., the method of deformable polyhedron. The parameters of the power function in the dependence of the rate of microdamage accumulation on the level of stresses are obtained. The parameters of the initiation and development of the crack system in the babbitt layer are obtained from the analysis of experimental results of studying steel-babbitt samples. The problem of calculating the durability of antifriction babbitt layers required the development of a new software. The program is examined by comparing calculated and experimental values of the durability of fatigue-tested bearing specimens forced against a rotating shaft by varying cyclic load. The calculated values of the durability match the experimental which confirms the performance of the calculated model.

Numerical Study on Vibration Response and Fatigue Damage of Axial Compressor Blade Considering Aerodynamic Excitation

Axial compressor blades with a deformed initial torsion angle caused by aerodynamic excitation resonated at the working speed and changed the rule of fatigue damage accumulation. The fatigue life of a blade has a prediction error, even causing serious flight accidents if the effect of torque causing damage deterioration of the blade fatigue life is neglected. Therefore, in this paper, a uniaxial non-linear fatigue damage model was modified using the equivalent stress with torsional shear stress, and the proposed fatigue model including the torsional moment was used to study the compressor blade fatigue life. Then, the blade numerical simulation model was established to calculate the vibration characteristics under complex loads of airflow excitation and a rotating centrifugal force. Finally, the blade fatigue life under actual working conditions was predicted using the modified fatigue model. The results show that the interaction between centrifugal and aerodynamic loads affects the natural frequency, as the frequencies in modes dominated by bending deformation decreased whereas those dominated by torsional deformation increased. Furthermore, the blade root of the suction surface showed stress concentration, but there is an obvious difference of stress distribution and amplitude between the normal stress and the equivalent stress including torsional shear stress. The additional consideration of the torsional shear stress decreased the predicted fatigue life by 4.5%. The damage accumulation rate changes with the loading cycle, and it accelerates fast for the last 25% of the cycle, when the blade fracture may occur at any time. Thus, the aerodynamic excitation increased the safety factor of blade fatigue life prediction.