Failure analysis of stainless steel at elevated temperatures

In this paper, particular emphasis has been put on gathering information on the phenomena that take place at the crack tip of a crack propagating at 1100°F. Since the experimental program was directed toward studying crack propagation in tubing, the tests were conducted on rings.From the experimentally obtained data and from the correlation with the theoretically predicted values, the following picture emerges for the fracture behavior with full plasticity present. There is a region surrounding the crack tip where very large plastic deformations take place. This region is surrounded by a much larger region where the loading is nearly proportional and the behavior can be predicted well by the results of the deformation theory of plasticity and the theory of singularity fields. As the crack propagation initiates, there is a drastic change in the crack-tip configuration. The crack tip does not blunt and a fairly sharp crack-tip region is observed. The crack tip carries a large deformation field of a far more localized nature than that observed at the initiation of the crack growth.Paper was presented at 1978 SESA Spring Meeting held in Wichita, KS on May 14–19.     

Mechanical characterisation of aluminium alloy 7449-T7651 at high strain rates and elevated temperatures using split hopkinson bar testing

Experimental Techniques - The mechanical behaviour of a 7 series high-strength aluminium alloy that is mainly used by the aerospace industry is under investigation. Aluminium alloy AA7449-T7651 is...     

Apparatus for studying cyclic stress-strain and fatigue at elevated temperatures

An apparatus is described which permits tubular specimens to be heated to a uniform temperature, while being cyclically strained with a constant amplitude of alternating strain about a fixed mean strain. Under these conditions, tests were performed in which the mean stress was measured as a function of the number of cycles of repeated strain for the alloys Udimet 700 and Rene 41 at 1300°F. These data along with fatigue fracture data are reported.     

Deformation behaviour in advanced heat resistant materials during slow strain rate testing at elevated temperature

In this study, slow strain rate tensile testing at elevated temperature is used to evaluate the influence of temperature and strain rate on deformation behaviour in two different austenitic alloys. One austenitic stainless steel (AISI 316L) and one nickel-base alloy (Alloy 617) have been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy related techniques as electron channelling contrast imaging and electron backscattering diffraction have been used to study the damage and fracture micromechanisms. For both alloys the dominante damage micromechanisms are slip bands and planar slip interacting with grain bounderies or precipitates causing strain concentrations. The dominante fracture micromechanism when using a slow strain rate at elevated temperature, is microcracks at grain bounderies due to grain boundery embrittlement caused by precipitates. The decrease in strain rate seems to have a small influence on dynamic strain ageing at 650°C.     

A multi-scale algorithm for dislocation creep at elevated temperatures

Dislocation creep at elevated temperatures plays an important role for plastic deformation in crystalline metals. When using traditional discrete dislocation dynamics(DDD) to capture this process, we often need to update the forces on N dislocations involving ～N~2 interactions. In this letter, we introduce a multi-scale algorithm to speed up the calculations by dividing a sample of interest into sub-domain grids:dislocations within a characteristic area interact following the conventional way, but their interaction with dislocations in other grids are simplified by lumping all dislocations in another grid as a super one. Such a multi-scale algorithm lowers the computational load to ～N 1.5. We employed this algorithm to model dislocation creep in Al-Mg alloy. The simulation leads to a power-law creep rate in consistent with experimental observations. The stress exponent of the power-law creep is a resultant of dislocations climb for ～5 and viscous dislocations glide for ～3.     

Investigation of strain gages for use at cryogenic temperatures

Strain sensitivity and resistance changes in Advance, Karma, Budd Alloy, Nichrome V, and stabilized Armour D foil gages, and Nichrome V-platinum temperature-compensated gages were evaluated at cryogenic temperatures. The more promising gage types, as determined from these studies, were tested to strain levels up to 11,000 μin./in. with tensile specimens. The other performance characteristics that were investigated included zero drift, creep, hysteresis, linearity and gage element size effects. A mounting method developed for foil gages to be used at cryogenic temperatures is described.     

A laser extensometer for measuring strain at incandescent temperatures

A laser-extensometer system has been developed and installed in an electron-beam tensile vacuum furnace to measure the strain of tensile-test specimens at incandescent temperatures. The laser extensometer operates by measuring the length of time during which the laser light can be “seen” by a photosensitive device while the light beam is rotated at a constant angular velocity. The light can be “seen” by the photosensitive device only when the light passes through a gap between two opaque flags which are affixed to the specimen so that the change in the gap width is proportional to the strain in the specimen. Tests indicate that the laser extensometer is capable of measuring strain with a maximum error of less than 100 μin./in. based on a 1-in. specimen gage length. The sensitivity and accuracy of the first model of the laser extensometer increase with a decreasing strain rate and are well within the range of requirements for metallurgical evaluation of modern metals and alloys for use at very high temperatures. Operation of the extensometer has indicated that greatly improved sensitivity and reduction of electronic noise and drift can be achieved by simple modifications yet to be made.     

Strain analysis for extrusion of powder metals

A method is described for determining the strain distribution during axisymmetric extrusion of powder metals. Density variations in these materials are included in the analysis. The method examines these changes together with the laminar flow pattern to determine strain rates and, ultimately, strains.     

A work-hardening rule for finite elastic-plastic deformation of metals at elevated temperatures

An extension of Prager-Ziegler's work-hardening rule for infinitesimal elastic-plastic deformation to a work-hardening rule for finite elastic-plastic deformation of polycrystalline metals at elevated temperatures is developed. Attention is given to the development to satisfy certain invariant, continuity and thermodynamic requirements.     

Experimental procedures for low-cycle-fatigue research at high temperatures

Testing procedures are reported for lowcycle-fatigue experiments on hydraulic fatigue machines operated with closed-loop servocontrol of the strain in inductively heated test specimens of the hourglass type. Typical equipment performance data and fatigue-test results are presented.     

Chemorheological response of elastomers at elevated temperatures: Experiments and simulations

An experimental study and a method for simulating the constitutive response of elastomers at temperatures in the chemorheological range (90-150 °C for natural rubber) are presented. A comprehensive set of uniaxial experiments for a variety of prescribed temperature histories is performed on natural rubber specimens that exhibit finite elasticity, entropic stiffening with temperature, viscoelasticity, scission, and oxygen diffusion/reaction effects. The simulation approach is based on a multi-network framework for finite elasticity, isothermal incompressibility, thermal expansion, and temperature-induced degradation. The model extends previous work to account for kinetics of scission for arbitrary time-varying temperature histories and incorporates the effects of viscoelastic relaxation and diffusion-limited oxidative scission. The model is calibrated to experiments performed on a commercially-available filled natural rubber material, and numerical simulations are compared favorably to experiments for a variety of temperature histories.     

DDT in fuel–air mixtures at elevated temperatures and pressures

An experimental study was carried out to investigate flame acceleration and deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) in fuel–air mixtures at initial temperatures up to 573 K and pressures up to 2 atm. The fuels investigated include hydrogen, ethylene, acetylene and JP-10 aviation fuel. The experiments were performed in a 3.1-m long, 10-cm inner-diameter heated detonation tube equipped with equally spaced orifice plates. Ionization probes were used to measure the flame time-of-arrival from which the average flame velocity versus propagation distance could be obtained. The DDT composition limits and the distance required for the flame to transition to detonation were obtained from this flame velocity data. The correlation developed by Veser et al. (run-up distance to supersonic flames in obstacle-laden tubes. In the proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions, France (2002)) for the flame choking distance proved to work very well for correlating the detonation run-up distance measured in the present study. The only exception was for the hydrogen–air data at elevated initial temperatures which tended to fall outside the scatter of the hydrocarbon mixture data. The DDT limits obtained at room temperature were found to follow the classical d/λ = 1 correlation, where d is the orifice plate diameter and λ is the detonation cell size. Deviations found for the high-temperature data could be attributed to the one-dimensional ZND detonation structure model used to predict the detonation cell size for the DDT limit mixtures. This simple model was used in place of actual experimental data not currently available. PACS 47.40.-x; 47.70.Fw This paper was based on work that was presented at the 19th Interna-tional Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Sys-tems, Hakone, Japan, July 27 - August 1, 2003     

A non-linear viscoelastic model for ceramics at high temperatures

High-temperature mechanical behavior of ceramics is characterized by non-linear rate dependent responses, asymmetric behavior in tension and compression, and nucleation and coalescence of voids leading to rupture. Moreover, rupture experiments show considerable scatter or randomness in fatigue lives of nominally equal specimens. To capture the non-linear, asymmetric time-dependent behavior, a new non-linear viscoelastic model is proposed. Non-linearity and asymmetry are introduced in the volumetric component. To model the random formation and coalescence of voids, each element is assigned a failure strain sampled from a lognormal distribution. An element is deleted when its volumetric strain exceeds its failure strain. Temporal increases in strains produce a sequential loss of elements (a model for void nucleation and growth), which in turn leads to failure. Non-linear viscoelastic model parameters are determined from uniaxial tensile and compressive creep experiments on silicon nitride. The model is then used to predict the deformation of four-point bending and ball-on-ring specimens. Simulation is used to predict statistical moments of rupture lives. Numerical simulation results compare well with results of four-point bending experiments.     

Multiaxial elongation of polyisobutylene with various and changing strain rate ratios

The multiaxial elongational rheometer equipped with rotary clamps is modified such that in addition to simple, equibiaxial and multiaxial elongations also tests with new modes of elongation can be performed. As an example, polyisobutylene is elongated with a ratio of the principal strain rates of and magnitudes of the maximum strain rate , 0.04 and 0.08 s^–1. As a test result, the first elongational viscosityµ ₁ (t) is obtained which follows closely the linear viscoelastic shear viscosity . In contrast, the second elongational viscosityµ ₂ (t) remains below . By means of a further modification of the rheometer, the test modes can be varied during the deformation period. This allows one to investigate the influence of a well-defined rheological pre-history on the following rheological behaviour. As an example a variation ofm = 0.5 2 was performed. The measured normal-stress differences superpose from the single steps of deformation similar to the linear viscoelastic prediction.Dedicated to Prof. F. R. Schwarzl on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

A generalized velocity field for plane strain backward extrusion through punches of any shape

In this paper, the process of plane strain backward extrusion process through arbitrarily curved punches, by means of the upper bound method and the finite element method is investigated. A generalized velocity field is developed and by calculating of the internal, shear and frictional powers, the extrusion force is estimated. Then, by using the developed analytical model, optimum punch lengths which minimize the required extrusion forces, are determined for a wedge shaped punch and a streamlined punch shape. The corresponding results for those two punch shapes are also determined by using a finite element code and compared with the upper bound results. This comparison shows that the upper bound predictions are in good agreement with the FE results.