Fatigue Strength and Crack Initiation Mechanism of Very-High-Cycle Fatigue for Low Alloy Steels

The fatigue strength and crack initiation mechanisms of very-high-cycle fatigue (VHCF) for two low alloy steels were investigated. Rotary bending tests at 52.5?Hz with hour-glass type specimens were carried out to obtain the fatigue propensity of the test steels, for which the failure occurred up to the VHCF regime of 10⁸ cycles with the S-N curves of stepwise tendency. Fractography observations show that the crack initiation of VHCF is at subsurface inclusion with ??fish-eye?? pattern. The fish-eye is of equiaxed shape and tends to tangent the specimen surface. The size of the fish-eye becomes large with the increasing depth of related inclusion from the surface. The fish-eye crack grows faster outward to the specimen surface than inward. The values of the stress intensity factor (K _I ) at different regions of fracture surface were calculated, indicating that the K _I value of fish-eye crack is close to the value of relevant fatigue threshold (??K _th ). A new parameter was proposed to interpret the competition mechanism of fatigue crack initiation at the specimen surface or at the subsurface. The simulation results indicate that large inclusion size, small grain size, and high strength of material will promote fatigue crack initiation at the specimen subsurface, which are in agreement with experimental observations.     

6061-T6铝合金棒材焊接裂纹分析

用户采用我公司生产的φ36mm、6061-T6棒材在打压试验时发现接近焊接部位出现泄漏现象。通过对泄漏部位高倍及低倍金相的观察及分析得知:泄漏部位存在微裂纹,而微裂纹与材料的晶粒粗大有直接的关系。通过控制产品的晶粒度可以有效地防止泄漏现象的产生。     

7475-T7351铝合金抗疲劳性能研究

采用旋转弯曲疲劳试验、轴向加载疲劳试验、疲劳裂纹扩展速率试验等疲劳性能测试方法,研究了7475-T7351铝合金厚板的疲劳性能.并通过透射电镜(TEM)和扫描电镜(SEM)分析了该合金的显微组织和疲劳断口形貌.结果表明:7475-T7351铝合金具有良好的耐疲劳损伤性能,光滑试样(Kt=1)在室温旋转弯曲和高温轴向加载条件下的疲劳极限分别为180.0和345.0 MPa,缺口试样(Kt=2.2)在室温旋转弯曲加载条件下的疲劳极限为91.9 MPa;合金厚板材料在高温下缺口敏感性有所降低;国产材料裂纹扩展速率随应力比增加而增大,裂纹扩展门槛值减小;国产7475铝合金与进口材料在裂纹稳定扩展阶段裂纹扩展行为基本相当;在近门槛值附近不同应力比下的裂纹扩展门槛值略有差别.     

Environmental Effects on Fatigue Crack Growth in 7075 Aluminum Alloy

The fatigue behavior of aluminum alloys is greatly influenced by the environmental conditions. In this article, fatigue crack growth rates were measured for 7075-T651 Al alloy under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV, ~10^?10?Torr), dry air, and water vapor. Standard compact tension (CT) specimens were tested along the L-T orientation under various load ratios of 0.1, 0.5, and 0.8. Fracture surfaces and crack morphologies were studied using scanning electron microscopy and crack deflection analysis. The crack growth behavior under vacuum was affected by friction and possible rewelding of crack surfaces, causing an asymmetry in the crack growth behavior, from load shedding to constant load. The enhancement of crack growth at higher moisture levels was observed and is discussed in terms of moisture decreasing friction between the crack faces. The effect of crack deflection as a function of R ratio and environment is also presented.     

Microstructural Inclusion Influence on Fatigue of a Cast A356 Aluminum Alloy

We examine the dependence of fatigue properties on the different size scale microstructural inclusions of a cast A356 aluminum alloy in order to quantify the structure-property relations. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed on fatigue specimens that included three different dendrite cell sizes (DCSs). Where past studies have focused upon DCSs or pore size effects on fatigue life, this study includes other metrics such as nearest neighbor distance (NND) of inclusions, inclusion distance to the free surface, and inclusion type (porosity or oxides). The present study is necessary to separate the effects of numerous microstructural inclusions that have a confounding effect on the fatigue life. The results clearly showed that the maximum pore size (MPS), NND of gas pores, and DCS all can influence the fatigue life. These conclusions are presumed to be typical of other cast alloys with similar second-phase constituents and inclusions. As such, the inclusion-property relations of this work were employed in a microstructure-based fatigue model operating on the crack incubation and MSC with good results.     

Multistage Fatigue Modeling of Cast A356-T6 and A380-F Aluminum Alloys

This article presents a microstructure-based multistage fatigue (MSF) model extended from the model developed by McDowell et al.[1,2] to an A380-F aluminum alloy to consider microstructure-property relations of descending order, signifying deleterious effects of defects/discontinuities: (1) pores or oxides greater than 100 μm, (2) pores or oxides greater than 50 μm near the free surface, (3) a high porosity region with an area greater than 200 μm, and (4) oxide film of an area greater than 10,000 μm². These microconstituents, inclusions, or discontinuities represent different casting features that may dominate fatigue life at stages of fatigue damage evolutions. The incubation life is estimated using a modified Coffin–Mansion law at the microscale based on the microplasticity at the discontinuity. The microstructurally small crack (MSC) and physically small crack (PSC) growth was modeled using the crack tip displacement as the driving force, which is affected by the porosity and dendrite cell size (DCS). When the fatigue damage evolves to several DCSs, cracks behave as long cracks with growth subject to the effective stress intensity factor in linear elastic fracture mechanics. Based on an understanding of the microstructures of A380-F and A356-T6 aluminum alloys, an engineering treatment of the MSF model was introduced for A380-F aluminum alloys by tailoring a few model parameters based on the mechanical properties of the alloy. The MSF model is used to predict the upper and lower bounds of the experimental fatigue strain life and stress life of the two cast aluminum alloys. This article is based on a presentation made in the symposium entitled “Simulation of Aluminum Shape Casting Processing: From Design to Mechanical Properties,” which occurred March 12–16, 2006 during the TMS Spring Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, under the auspices of the Computational Materials Science and Engineering Committee, the Process Modeling, Analysis and Control Committee, the Solidification Committee, the Mechanical Behavior of Materials Committee, and the Light Metal Division/Aluminum Committee.

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Theoretical Considerations on Corrosion Fatigue Crack Initiation

Based on corrosion kinetics and fracture mechanics, it has been possible to determine quantitatively the corrosion fatigue life for three different types of corrosion behavior. Under general, active corrosion, corrosion fatigue life is controlled by the corrosion rate and the applied alternating stress range. If pitting corrosion occurs, corrosion fatigue life depends on the incubation time for nucleating a pit, the pit growth kinetics, and a critical pit depth, which is a function of the applied stress range. It has been assumed that under passive corrosion conditions, the passive layer has to be penetrated by slip steps, to form corrosion fatigue cracks. The corrosion fatigue crack initiation in this case is controlled by the repassivation kinetics of the material and also by a critical notch depth, depending on the applied stress range. It has been found that a critical current density exists, below which no corrosion fatigue cracks can initiate. Comparison of the theoretically calculated life times with experimental results showed a quite good correlation. M. MüLLER, formerly Research Engineer with Brown Boveri Research Center, Baden, Switzerland.     

Fatigue Crack Initiation and Microcrack Propagation in X7091 Type Aluminum P/M Alloys

Fatigue crack initiation in extruded X7091 RSP-P/M aluminum type alloys occurs at grain boundaries at both low and high stresses. By a process of elimination this grain boundary embrittlement was attributed to A1₂O₃ particles formed mainly during atomization and segregated to some grain boundaries. It is not due to the small grain size, to Co₂Al₉, to 17 precipitates at grain boundaries, nor to a precipitate free zone. Thermomechanical processing after extrusion of X7091 with 0.8 pct Co was done by Alcoa to produce large recrystallized grains. This resulted in initiation of fatigue cracks at slip bands, and the resistance to initiation of fatigue cracks at low stresses was much greater. Microcrack growth is, however, much faster in the thermomechanically treated samples, as well as in ingot alloys, than in extruded and aged X7091.     

Ultrasonic Fatigue Endurance of Aluminum Alloy AISI 6061-T6 on Pre-corroded and Non-corroded Specimens

Ultrasonic fatigue tests are carried out on aluminum alloy 6061-T6 in order to analyze the fatigue endurance behavior under artificial pre-corrosion attack by hydrochloric acid for the pH concentrations of 0.47 and 0.80. The pre-corrosion attack is used to simulate the long-time environmental effect and the corresponding decay of fatigue life in regard to non-corroded specimens. Experimental results show that ultrasonic fatigue endurance under these two degrees of pre-corrosion attack decreases dramatically. Furthermore, it is observed that crack initiation is frequently associated with one or several pre-corrosion pitting holes at the specimen surface. Pitting holes are assumed to be semi-hemispherical and the stress concentration factors are evaluated taking into account the size and proximity of two crack initiation pitting holes. The crack growth rates are obtained for the pre-corroded specimens and compared to the non-corroded specimen. Finally, conclusions are listed concerning ultrasonic fatigue endurance of testing specimens, together with the fracture surfaces, crack paths, and crack growth rates.     

Mechanisms for Solidification Crack Initiation and Growth in Aluminum Welding

In the present work, mechanisms are proposed for solidification crack initiation and growth in aluminum alloy 6060 arc welds. Calculations for an interdendritic liquid pressure drop, made using the Rappaz–Drezet–Gremaud (RDG) model, demonstrate that cavitation as a liquid fracture mechanism is not likely to occur except at elevated levels of hydrogen content. Instead, a porosity-based crack initiation model has been developed based upon pore stability criteria, assuming that gas pores expand from pre-existing nuclei. Crack initiation is taken to occur when stable pores form within the coherent dendrite region, depending upon hydrogen content. Following initiation, crack growth is modeled using a mass balance approach, controlled by local strain rate conditions. The critical grain boundary liquid deformation rate needed for solidification crack growth has been determined for a weld made with a 16 pct 4043 filler addition, based upon the local strain rate measurement and a simplified strain rate partitioning model. Combined models show that hydrogen and strain rate control crack initiation and growth, respectively. A hypothetical hydrogen strain rate map is presented, defining conceptually the combined conditions needed for cracking and porosity.     

钴磷镀层表面热疲劳裂纹的萌生及扩展机理

在自约束型热疲劳试验机上对化学镀钴磷合金镀层进行了热疲劳试验,采用光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜研究了在热应力作用下镀层表面热疲劳裂纹萌生、扩展的方式和形态。结果表明:200次冷热循环后,V型缺口处发生塑性变形,并且随冷热循环的进行,热疲劳裂纹由缺口底部萌生并沿着循环方向扩展。重点分析了钴磷合金镀层表面热疲劳裂纹的萌生及扩展机理。     

Fatigue Crack Initiation In WASPALOY at 20 °C

In two WASPALOY specimens, the orientations of grains that initiated fatigue cracks and adjacent ograins were measured using electron backscattered diffraction patterns (EBSP). Crystallographic relationships were found for crack initiating regions that resulted in slip transmission across areas larger than the initiating grain, and the initiating grain was usually larger than average. A similar evaluation of control areas on each specimen found that there was much less likelihood of slip transmission across grain boundaries. Schmid factors (SFs) were also evaluated. It is concluded that the reason that fatigue cracks formed at these locations was due to the lower stress required for slip initiation in these clusters of grains oriented for slip transmission across grain boundaries. Many of the cracks initiated within grain boundaries. A detailed crystallographic analysis of the adjacent grains suggests criteria for intergranular (IG) crack initiation. This article is based on a presentation given in the symposium entitled “Deformation and Fracture from Nano to Macro: A Symposium Honoring W.W. Gerberich’s 70th Birthday,” which occurred during the TMS Annual Meeting, March 12–16, 2006, in San Antonio, Texas, and was sponsored by the Mechanical Behavior of Materials and Nanomechanical Behavior Committees of TMS.