Size Estimation of Fatigue Crack Appearing at Bolt Joints of Aluminum Alloy Plates by Synchronized SAW Measurement

The synchronized ultrasonic measurement with the surface acoustic wave (SAW) was carried out during the fatigue testing of bolted specimens of the aluminum alloy in synchronization with a fatigue cycle. The stationary SAW measurement was also carried out in the fatigue testing under pausing the fatigue tester at the mean load. In both measurements, the intensity of the scattered wave gradually increased with the number of fatigue cycles in the fretted region ahead of a bolt hole due to surface roughness, and the steep increment occurred following appearance and propagation of the fatigue crack. The steep increment was detected earlier in the synchronized measurement than that in the in-process measurement. In the synchronized SAW measurement, the intensity of the reflection from the fatigue crack increased with increasing stress level in the fatigue cycle. Then, the crack length was estimated with the intensity change of the reflection from the crack in the fatigue cycle following the Elber’s model modified by Suresh on the crack opening and closure following the stress intensity factor. The method developed in the present work shows the potential of the synchronized surface acoustic wave measurement as a tool for the early detectability of the fatigue crack as well as for the evaluation of crack opening/closure behavior in the bolted joint.     

Lifetime simulation of thermo-mechanically loaded components

The estimation of the lifetime of thermo-mechanically loaded components by testing is very costly and time-consuming, since the high temperature cycle time in practical application dominates the test duration. Common frequencies for TMF (thermo-mechanical fatigue) tests are at about 0.01 Hz compared to 10–100 Hz at HCF (high cycle fatigue) and about 0.1–1 Hz at isothermal LCF (low cycle fatigue) tests. Therefore, the simulation of fatigue life is an important design step in the fast moving and competitive automotive industry, where the steady rise of engine power and the demand for lightweight construction concurrent with enhanced reliability require an optimised dimensioning process. Methods and models are usually derived from results made on tests with specimens, since it is possible to systematically and exactly define loading parameters and measurement categories. After an extensive test programme (tensile tests, creep tests, low cycle fatigue tests and thermo-mechanical fatigue tests with different influences on specimens) it was possible to develop material models for the simulation of the time- and temperature dependent stress–strain hystereses and damage models for the simulation of the TMF lifetime. Based on this knowledge the whole simulation chain to determine the TMF life of a component is introduced: thermal calculation, mechanical calculation and lifetime calculation. Furthermore the transferability of specimen based simulation models to real components (an alternative test piece and a cylinder head) is investigated.     

New Experimental Techniques for <Emphasis Type="Italic">In-situ</Emphasis> Measurement of the Damage Characteristics of Piezoelectric Ceramics under High Cycle Fatigue Testing

To better understand the failure characteristics of lead titanate zirconate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramics, in-situ measurements of displacement and crack growth rates were conducted during high cycle fatigue testing, e.g., 5 kHz. A commercial PZT ceramic (used in a buzzer) was employed as the specimen. To examine the failure characteristics, two newly proposed systems were used: (i) a high speed camera system and (ii) a condenser microphone system. The former system consisted of two high speed cameras with an analytical system, which could measure the displacement of the PZT ceramic during the cyclic loading. The maximum displacement value of the ceramic was found to be approximately 20 μm at 0.5 kHz. The three-dimensional shape of the PZT ceramic during cyclic loading could be clearly observed. With the latter system, the displacement intensity arising from the ceramic vibration was detected continuously. It was found that the crack growth rate was not correlated with the fatigue frequency due to the resonance caused by the ceramic oscillation. There is a linear relationship between the crack growth rate and sonar intensity. On the basis of the crack growth behavior, the failure characteristics of the PZT ceramic could be clearly determined.     

An Investigation of Fatigue Characteristics of Copper Film

Tensile and fatigue behaviors of the copper film coated by tin (Sn) were investigated considering S-N relationships and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation of fracture surfaces. The fatigue behavior was investigated considering the effect of load ratio, R. The specimen of 2000 μm width, 8000 μm length and 15.26 μm thickness was fabricated by etching process. Tensile properties were measured using the micro-tensile testing system and in-plane electronic speckle pattern interferometric (ESPI) system for measuring the tensile strain during the test. The fatigue tests of the film were carried out in load-control mode with 40 Hz at three different stress ratios of 0.05, 0.3 and 0.5. The S-N curves, including the slope of the curve and fatigue limit, at the respective stress ratios were obtained. These curves were dependent on the load ratio. Empirical relationships indicating the dependency of the fatigue limit and S-N curve on the load ratio were suggested in this study. SEM observation of the tensile fracture surface showed that the cross-sectional area of the testing section was necked in the direction of the film thickness (i.e. parallel to the substrate surface normal) and some ductile dimples in the fracture surface were present. The fracture of the copper film under cyclic loading was progressed in the transgranular fracture mode.     

点火能对丙烷-空气预混气体爆炸过程及管壁动态响应的影响

在长12 m的无缝不锈钢直管中,通过改变初始点火能量,探究了点火能对封闭管道内丙烷-空气混合气体爆炸传播特性和激波对管壁动态加载的影响。结果表明,初始点火能对预混气体爆炸火焰传播规律以及管壁的动态响应有显著影响:点火能越大,爆炸越剧烈,爆炸压力峰值压力和管壁最大应变就越大,且压力波和管壁应变的发展一致。火焰在传播过程中受到管道末端反射波的作用会发生短暂熄灭和复燃;管壁承受冲击波加载,应变信号主要分布在0~781.25 Hz,管壁最大应变率大于10-3 s-1,实验工况下管壁应变属动态响应。     

Rapid evaluation of the fatigue limit in composites using infrared lock-in thermography and acoustic emission

Fatigue limit determination via the conventional Wöhler-curve method is associated with extended experimental times as it requires testing of a large number of specimens. The current paper introduces a methodology for fast, reliable and experimentally economic determination of the fatigue limit in monolithic and composite materials by means of combined usage of two nondestructive inspection methods, namely infrared (IR) lock-in thermography and acoustic emission (AE). IR thermography, as a real-time and non-contact technique, allowed the detection of heat waves generated due to thermo-mechanical coupling as well as of the energy dissipated intrinsically during dynamic loading of the material. AE, on the other hand, was employed to record the transient waves resulting from crack propagation events. Aluminum grade 1050 H16 and cross-ply SiC/BMAS ceramic matrix composites were subjected to fatigue loading at various stress levels and were monitored by an IR camera and AE sensors. The fatigue limit of the monolithic material, obtained by the lock-in infrared thermography technique and supported by acoustic emission was found to be in agreement with measurements obtained by the conventional S–N curve method. The fatigue limit of the ceramic matrix composite was validated with acoustic emission data.     

Fatigue characterization of tire rubber

An investigation of the fatigue behavior of tire rubber was undertaken. The tire rubber used in this work is a blend of natural rubber and polybutadiene. It is vulcanized and filled with carbon black. Fatigue tests were conducted on edge-notched prismatic specimens subjected to tension–tension loading in a displacement-controlled machine. The maximum strain was 8% and the minimum strain was 0.8%. The waveform of the fatigue cycle was sinusoidal at a frequency of 10 Hz. Initial cracks of various lengths were cut into the edge of the rubber specimens with a sharp razor blade. The tearing energy was calculated during the test. A power law relation between the crack growth rate and tearing energy was obtained. The fatigue life of tire rubber was estimated based on the integration of the power law relations and the tearing energy versus fatigue cycles curves in conjunction with the value of the critical tearing energy at crack growth initiation.     

Mixed-mode stress intensity factors and critical angles of cracks in bolted joints by weight function method

Summary   Mechanical joints, such as bolted or riveted joints, are widely used in structural components. Reliable determination of stress intensity factors for cracks in bolted joints is required to evaluate their safety and fatigue life. The weight function method is an efficient technique to calculate stress intensity factors for various loading conditions by the stress analysis of an uncracked model. In this paper, the mixed-mode stress intensity factors for cracks in bolted joints are analyzed by the weight function method, and coefficients included in the weight function are determined by finite element analysis for reference loadings. The critical angle at which mode I stress intensity factor becomes maximum is determined, and the effects of the amount of clearance and crack length on the critical angle are investigated. Received 28 February 2001; accepted for publication 22 June 2001 RID=" ID=" The authors are grateful for the support provided by a grant from the Korea Science &amp; Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) and Safety and Structural Integrity Research Center at the Sungkyunkwan University.     

An experimental investigation into non-linear wave loading on horizontal axis tidal turbines

Tidal turbines are subject to large hydrodynamic loads from combinations of currents and waves, which contribute significantly to fatigue, extreme loading and power flow requirements. Physical model testing enables these loads and power fluctuations to be assessed and understood in a controlled and repeatable environment. In this work, a 1:15 scale tidal turbine model is utilised to further the fundamental understanding of the influence of waves on tidal turbines. A wide range of regular waves are generated in both following-current and opposing-current conditions. Wave frequencies range from 0.31 Hz to 0.55 Hz & wave heights from 0.025 m to 0.37 m in a fixed 0.81 m/s current velocity. Waves are selected and programmed specifically to facilitate frequency domain analysis, and techniques are employed to isolate the effect of non-linear waves on turbine power and thrust.Results demonstrate that wave action induces large variations in turbine power and thrust compared to current only conditions. For the range of conditions tested, peak values of thrust and power exceed current-only values by between 7%–65% and 13%–160% respectively. These wave-induced fluctuations are shown to increase with wave amplitude and decrease with wave frequency. Following wave conditions exhibit greater variations than opposing for waves with the same wave height and frequency due to the lower associated wavenumbers.A model is developed and presented to aid the understanding of the high-order harmonic response of the turbine to waves, which is further demonstrated using steady state coefficients under assumptions of pseudo-stationarity. This approach is proven to be effective at estimating wave-induced power and thrust fluctuations for the combinations of waves, currents and turbine state tested. The outcome of which shows promise as a rapid design tool that can evaluate the effect of site-specific wave–current conditions on turbine performance.     

Evaluation of high-cycle fatigue behavior in compact bones at different loading frequencies

This article presents the evaluation of the high-cycle fatigue behavior in bovine compact bones under different loading frequencies. For this objective, rotating bending fatigue testing has been utilized at 10, 20 and 30 Hz of the loading frequency. Cylindrical specimens were obtained from the 12-month old bovine compact bone, considering both tibia and femur. Obtained experimental results indicated that averaged fatigue lifetimes of femur was higher than the ones of tibia. Besides, the effect of the loading frequency on the high-cycle fatigue lifetime was not significant. In addition, scanning electron microscopy images predicted brittle fractures for bones with cleavage marks. Failure mechanisms for tibia were reported as the separation of the fiber (osteon) and the matrix, micro-cracks insides the matrix, and micro-cracks of the fiber (osteon). Failure mechanisms for femur were presented as the separation of lamella layers and micro-cracks in the lamella bone.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of crack-tip processes in copper

The crack tip processes in copper under mode II loading have been simulated by a molecular dynamics method. The nucleation, emission, dislocation free zone (DFZ) and pile-up of the dislocations are analyzed by using a suitable atom lattice configuration and Finnis & Sinclair potential. The simulated results show that the dislocation emitted always exhibits a dissociated fashion. The stress intensity factor for dislocation nucleation, DFZ and dissociated width of partial dislocations are strongly dependent on the loading rate. The stress distributions are in agreement with the elasticity solution before the dislocation emission, but are not in agreement after the emission. The dislocation can move at subsonic wave speed (less than the shear wave speed) or at transonic speed (greater than the shear wave speed but less than the longitudinal wave speed), but at the longitudinal wave speed the atom lattice breaks down. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

薄钢板低周疲劳测试技术研究

汽车钢板材料由于厚度较薄,在低周应变疲劳性能测试中,试样容易发生屈曲,并且受限于试验段的标距,无法使用传统机械式引伸计进行应变的测量,在工程中,其低周疲劳性能的测试是一项技术难点。本文基于数字图像相关技术,提出了一种非接触式的光学引伸计,结合光学显微镜头和防屈曲装置,实现材料表面应变的实时监测。该动态应变测量系统使用普通的CCD相机,采用了优化的计算方法,应变测量的频率可以高达60Hz。该动态应变测试技术可以广泛地应用于各个工程领域的动态变形测量。     

裂纹闭合和循环塑性预应变及循环载荷压缩部分对裂纹扩展速率的影响

本文针对三种国产材料 Ｌｙ１１ｃｚ、 Ｌｙ１２ｃｚ 铝合金和 １８ Ｍｎ Ｈ Ｐ钢,通过实验初步考察了循环塑性预应变和循环载荷压缩部分对疲劳裂纹扩展的影响;采用电测法,测定了两种铝合金材料疲劳裂纹扩展的张开应力和有效应力强度因子幅值比 Ｕ。结果表明：（１）材料循环塑性预应变和循环载荷压缩部分,都使疲劳裂纹扩展速率提高;（２）常幅载荷下,在疲劳裂纹稳定扩展阶段,有效应力强度因子幅值比 Ｕ 与应力比 Ｒ 有关,与裂纹长度ａ 无关,并依赖于材料的力学性能。     

INVESTIGATION OF FRACTURE DESIGN FOR MEDIUM CARBON STEEL UNDER EXTRA-LOW CYCLIC FATIGUE IN AXIAL LOADING

The extra-low cyclic fracture problem of medium carbon steel under axial fatigue loading was investigated. Several problems, such as the relations of the cycle times to the depth and tip radius of the notch, loading frequency, loading range and the parameters of fracture design for medium carbon steel on condition of extra-low axial fatigue loading were discussed based on the experiments. Experimental results indicated that the tension-pressure fatigue loading mode was suitable for extra-low cyclic fatigue fracture design of medium carbon steel and it resulted in low energy consumption, fracture surface with high quality, low cycle times, and high efficiency. The appropriate parameters were as follows： loading frequency 3-5 Hz, notch tip radius r = （0.2-0.3） mm, opening angle α = 60°, and notch depth t = （0.14-0.17）D.     

Stress distributions from interference fits and uniaxial tension

Machine assemblies can be prestressed (1) to eliminate stress gradients and (2) to increase fatigue life. Where prestressing is used to reduce stress gradients, the geometry is usually simple and good mathematical models are available for design purposes. The instances where fatigue life is the prime consideration are difficult to analyze because of asymmetry and variable boundary conditions. However, the interference prestress can be determined from an approximate model. The approximate solution indicates that the normal stress at the interface of a bolt-hole assembly varies almost linearly with diametral interference. When a tensile field is added to an interference prestress, even approximate techniques falter. Quantitative agreement with strain-gage data can be made at a point and for the initial loading cycle only. After several cycles, the experimental value of cycle-stress variation at the interface approximates the average applied tensile stress. The calculated value is twice as great. Stresses due to interference fits can be predicted, and prestressed bolted joints designed with greater confidence.     

Surface acoustic wave measurements of small fatigue cracks initiated from a surface cavity

A model for the low frequency scattering of a surface acoustic wave by a surface cylindrical cavity with two corner cracks is presented. It is applied to determine the depth of the small fatigue cracks initiated from a pit-type surface flaw. The general scattering formalism based on the elastodynamic reciprocity principle is employed. The effect of the cylindrical cavity on the surface wave reflection from cracks is considered using an approximate stress intensity factor for the corner cracks. In situ surface acoustic wave measurements have been performed during fatigue tests for an Al 2024-T3 sample. The surface wave signal was acquired continuously at different cyclic load levels. The model is verified by comparing calculated reflection signals and spectra with those from experiments. The depths of fully and partially open cracks are determined from the predicted and the measured surface wave reflections. The surface wave reflection is observed to be sensitive to crack closure.     

红外热像法快速确定45#钢的疲劳性能

红外热像法作为一种无损、实时及非接触的测试技术,在疲劳研究领域得到广泛的应用.该方法克服了传统试验方法周期长、所需试验试件和费用多的困难.本文利用红外热像仪测量了疲劳试验中45#钢试件表面温升变化,根据红外疲劳极限快测法得到疲劳极限,并由累积塑性功和塑性温升之间的相关假设,推导出了试件疲劳寿命的计算公式.试验结果表明,红外热像法可以快速、准确地确定材料的疲劳极限和S-N曲线.     

一种新的多轴非比例低周疲劳寿命预测临界面模型

工程结构在服役过程中往往承受着复杂的多轴非比例循环荷载,在长期动力载荷作用下结构构件的失效主要为多轴非比例疲劳破坏. 文中基于圆管薄壁试件在拉-扭复合加载情况下的多轴疲劳试验结果,对比了广泛讨论的Kandil-Brown-Miller (KBM) 模型和Fatemi-Socie (FS) 模型对多轴非比例疲劳寿命的预测能力,分析了非比例加载条件引起多轴疲劳附加损伤的原因;针对FS 模型对不存在非比例附加强化的材料多轴疲劳寿命预测的不足,提出了一个能考虑非比例加载路径变化和材料附加强化效应双重作用的非比例影响因子,参照FS 准则提出了一种新的多轴非比例低周疲劳寿命预测临界面模型. 利用5 种材料的多轴非比例疲劳试验数据对该模型进行了试验验证,结果表明:采用文中提出的临界面模型预测的多轴非比例疲劳寿命与试验结果符合较好,预测精度优于FS 模型;同时,该模型对不存在非比例附加强化的材料的多轴疲劳寿命预测表现出更好的适用性,且能有效的提高不同类型材料的多轴非比例疲劳寿命预测精度.      

基于韧性耗散模型的损伤定量分析方法

材料的静力韧性便于工程测量,对疲劳损伤较其它宏观损伤变量更敏感。本文以材料静力韧性为宏观损伤变量,依据疲劳过程中金属材料韧性随疲劳循环加载而变化的实验结果的规律分析,得到了应力和循环数表达的损伤演化方程和损伤累积模型。该模型能较好地反映加载顺序的影响。推导出该疲劳损伤累积模型在多级加载下的递推公式。经四种金属材料疲劳试验数据验证结果表明,该模型预测疲劳寿命是较为满意的。由于疲劳试验数据分散性大,结果有待进一步验证。     

Internal fractures in spheres due to stress wave focusing

The locations and times of occurrence of internal fractures in Perspex spheres subjected to localized explosive loading are investigated. An analysis of stress wave reflection from free boundaries based on the method of geometrical acoustics is found to give predictions which are in good agreement with results obtained from high speed photographs.