Fatigue Life Calculation Method and Experimental Study of the Multiple Corrugated Diaphragm Coupling

The multiple corrugated diaphragm (MCD) coupling is a new flexible coupling developed based on the diaphragm and diaphragm disc coupling. Compared to traditional couplings, the MCD coupling has the advantages of high torque diameter, high torque weight, and high compensation capability. It is more suitable for high power speed and high power density working conditions. The MCD coupling is subjected to axial, angular, torque, and centrifugal force loads. The fatigue failure caused by alternating stress is the primary failure mode of the coupling. The fatigue life of the MCD coupling cannot be accurately calculated because of the complexity of the force in operation. Some theoretical simplifications can only obtain the approximate result. In this paper, a parameterized finite element model of the MCDs is established. A method for calculating the fatigue safety factor of the MCD coupling is proposed based on a modified Goodman curve to know the design of the MCD coupling. The feasibility of this method is verified by the fatigue life test of the coupling.

Enhancement of Fatigue Life in St37 Steels by Carburizing Process

Carburizing is a heat treatment process, which used widely for surface hardening. In this process, the parts are placed in a concentrated atmosphere of Carbon atoms. The carbon atoms diffuse in the samples from the surface. In the present article, the effects of carburizing temperature on fatigue life will be studied. The St37 steel material is selected for study due to its wide range of usage in industry and little attention on the carburizing of this material. The samples are prepared by implementing the carburizing process at different temperatures (300, 400, 500, and 600 °C). The holding time is 1 hour for all samples. The two-point bending fatigue tests had been carried out on constant loading stresses. The results of the fatigue life test show that the fatigue life enhances the carburizing process. The fatigue life improved from about 45000 cycles to about 65000 cycles (about 44% increase) by increasing the temperature from 300°C to 600°C. Holding at higher temperatures leads to an increase in fatigue life smoothly due to the increase in the diffusivity coefficient. Also, the fracture surface demonstrates that the crack initiation starts from outer surfaces very slowly and failure happens as a brittle fracture in the samples.

A Study on Failure Analysis and High Performance of Hydraulic Servo Actuator

Hydraulic servo actuator is used as the core actuator in tensile compression fatigue life test equipment as it operates the micro displacement very precisely at a high frequency and can be used continuously for a long period of time. Recently, the life expectancy of automobiles has been extended, the load conditions of accelerated life testing on auto parts have been increased, and the life test time and number of tests have increased significantly in order to secure the reliability of the guaranteed life of produced vehicles. Therefore, hydraulic servo actuators mounted on accelerated life testing equipment for automotive parts are essential for much higher performance and a longer life than those tested. However, small- and medium-sized companies that supply test equipment for the fatigue life of auto often fail to develop technology due to a lack of research personnel and the development budget compared to the capabilities of large automobile manufacturers, resulting in frequent breakdowns due to the technical overload of test equipment. In this study, servo actuators were used to test automotive parts, with a maximum output of 2 ton, a maximum frequency of 3.3 Hz and a maximum displacement of 50 mm. The hydraulic servo actuator, which was installed in the tensile compression fatigue life test equipment, failed to operate normally at the site, and by analyzing it, we realized this resulted from the heat generation of insulation compression due to the accumulation of air and gas into the hydraulic oil and the increase in friction due to the deterioration of flow. A static pressure bearing was adopted as a design change to improve the root cause for this failure mode, and a very high level of geometric concentricity was secured by inserting concentric tubes outside the labyrinth seal type piston. The newly designed and manufactured actuator is the result of research that has achieved a semi-permanent long life and improved performance up to 100 Hz by non-contact operation.

Ductility and Fatigue Strength Loss of a Hydrogen-Charged 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel

The susceptibility of 316L-type austenite stainless steel to hydrogen was quantified by means of SSRT results and low-cycle fatigue life measurement. Both tests were conducted in the air condition after being charged with high-pressure hydrogen gas of 10 MPa and a temperature of 300°C for 120 hours. In addition, SSRT tests in gaseous hydrogen at a pressure of 10 MPa were also performed and compared to the tests conducted in hydrogen pre-charged and as-received conditions. The 0.2% yield strength and tensile strength did not show there to be a considerable difference between hydrogen pre-charging and the as-received conditions, whereas the gaseous hydrogen condition revealed a remarkable degradation in tensile properties, especially in terms of fracture elongation. In the case of fatigue life test, a considerable influence of hydrogen pre-charging in fatigue life properties was observed in the high strain amplitude regime whereas the measured values in the low strain deformation region are consistently comparable to that in the as-received condition. Fatigue limit was not affected by hydrogen pre-charging.

Effect of High Pressure Gaseous Hydrogen on Fatigue Properties of SUS304 and SUS316 Austenitic Stainless Steel

A high pressure material testing system (max. pressure: 140 MPa, temperature range: −80 ∼ 90 °C) was developed to investigate the testing method of material compatibility for high pressure gaseous hydrogen. In this study, SSRT and fatigue life test of JIS SUS304 and SUS316 austenitic stainless steel were performed in high pressure gaseous hydrogen at room temperature, −45, and −80 °C. These testing results were compared with those in laboratory air atmosphere at the same test temperature range. The SSRT tests were performed at a strain rate of 5 × 10−5 s−1 in 105 MPa hydrogen gas, and nominal stress-strain curves were obtained. The 0.2% offset yield strength (Ys) did not show remarkable difference between in hydrogen gas and in laboratory air atmosphere for SUS304 and SUS316. Total elongation after fracture (El) in hydrogen gas at −45 and −80 °C were approximately 15 % for SUS304 and 20% for SUS316. In the case of fatigue life tests, a smooth surface round bar test specimen with a diameter of 7 mm was used at a frequency of 1, 0.1, and 0.01 Hz under stress rate of R = −1 (tension-compression) in 100 MPa hydrogen gas. It can be seen that the fatigue life test results of SUS304 and SUS316 showed same tendency. The fatigue limit at room temperature in 100 MPa hydrogen gas was comparable with that in laboratory air. The room temperature fatigue life in high pressure hydrogen gas appeared to be the more severe condition compared to the fatigue life at low temperature. The normalized stress amplitude (σa / Ts) at the fatigue limit was 0.37 to 0.39 for SUS304 and SUS316 austenitic stainless steels, respectively.

The Structure and Mechanical Properties of VT23 Welded Joints with Surface Layer Modified by Ultrasonic Mechanical Forging

The structure and mechanical properties of welded joints of VT23 titanium alloy received by method of laser welding after modifying the surface layers by ultrasonic mechanical forging (Treatment 1 and Treatment 2) were investigated. The experimental tests have revealed that the Treatment 2 provides a multiple increase in the relaxation property in fatigue life test. The formation of nonuniform distribution of vanadium, chromium and molybdenum in the welded joint increases the strength and, at the same time, the brittleness of β-phase. Mechanical treatment of the surface layers in the second mode provides a multiple increase in ductility up to 13%, in the as-received condition up to 9.9%. In consequence of plastic deformation, the β-phase intensity reduces twice with Treatment 2 which is related to its clustering. As follows from a presented data, the fatigue life of the VT23 titanium alloy has increased more than threefold.