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Masao Kikuchi

Bio: Masao Kikuchi is an academic researcher from Virginia Tech. The author has contributed to research in topics: Fatigue limit & Microstructure. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 159 citations.

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TL;DR: The characteristic fatigue behavior of carburized and quenched steel with internal oxides and non-martensitic microstructure near the surface was presented through rotating bending fatigue test as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The characteristic fatigue behavior of carburized and quenched steel with internal oxides and non-martensitic microstructure near the surface was presented through rotating bending fatigue test. The S-N diagram revealed two knees and the specimens continued to fail over 107 stress cycles. The fatigue limit could not be obtained even at 108 stress cycles. The test results were compared to those for the specimens without surface structure anomalies to show the effect of structure anomalies on the fatigue behavior of carburized steel.

166 citations


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TL;DR: In this article, the fatigue properties of a bearing steel in the long-life region were experimentally examined under cyclic axial loading and the complicated S-N behavior was well explained as a combination of s-N curves for surface-induced fracture and interior inclusion-induced fractures.
Abstract: Owing to difficult economical conditions, machines and structures often have to be used beyond the design lifetime. In this study, fatigue properties of a bearing steel in the long-life region were experimentally examined under cyclic axial loading. The complicated S-N behaviour was well explained as a combination of S-N curves for surface-induced fracture and interior inclusion-induced fracture. Fish-eye marks were always observed on the fracture surfaces of specimens, which failed in the latter fracture mode, and an inclusion was found at the center of the fish-eye. Finally, it was found that the fatigue fracture of this steel in the long-life region occurred through the following three processes: (i) formation of the characteristic area as a fine granular area (FGA), (ii) crack propagation to form the fish-eye and (iii) rapid crack propagation to cause the catastrophic fracture.

303 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the current studies in this area performed by many researchers is described in this paper in order to provide a certain milestone in the history of the research on fatigue behavior of the metallic materials in the very high cycle regime.
Abstract: In recent years, mechanical structures such as railway wheels, rails, offshore structures, bridges, engine components, load bearing parts of automobiles, etc. have to endure for a long term up to 108-1010 loading cycles in order to save resources and to reduce the cost together with the environmental load to the globe. Thus, the fatigue behavior of structural materials in the very high cycle regime of 108-1010 cycles has become an important subject of the research. In this paper, a review of the current studies in this area performed by many researchers is described in order to provide a certain milestone in the history of the research on fatigue behavior of the metallic materials in the very high cycle regime.

282 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the fracture surfaces of a heat-treated hard steel, namely Cr-Mo steel SCM435, which failed in the regime of N= 10 5 to 5 x 10 8 cycles, were investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.
Abstract: The fracture surfaces of specimens of a heat-treated hard steel, namely Cr-Mo steel SCM435, which failed in the regime of N= 10 5 to 5 x 10 8 cycles, were investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Specimens having a longer fatigue life had a particular morphology beside the inclusion at the fracture origin. The particular morphology looked optically dark when observed by an optical microscope and it was named the optically dark area (ODA). The ODA looks a rough area when observed by SEM and atomic force microscope (AFM). The relative size of the ODA to the size of the inclusion at the fracture origin increases with increase in fatigue life. Thus, the ODA is considered to have a crucial role in the mechanism of superlong fatigue failure. It has been assumed that the ODA is made by the cyclic fatigue stress and the synergetic effect of the hydrogen which is trapped by the inclusion at the fracture origin. To verify this hypothesis, in addition to conventionally heat-treated specimens (specimen QT, i.e. quenched and tempered), specimens annealed at 300 °C in a vacuum (specimen VA) and the specimens quenched in a vacuum (specimen VQ) were prepared to remove the hydrogen trapped by inclusions. The specimens VA and VQ, had a much smaller ODA than the specimen QT. Some other evidence of the influence of hydrogen on superlong fatigue failure are also presented. Thus, it is concluded that the hydrogen trapped by inclusions is a crucial factor which causes the superlong fatigue failure of high strength steels.

272 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the fatigue fracture surfaces of specimens of heat treated hard steels which failed in the regime of N =10 5 to 5 x 10 8 cycles by optical microscopy and SEM.
Abstract: The fatigue fracture surfaces of specimens of heat treated hard steels which failed in the regime of N =10 5 to 5 x 10 8 cycles , were investigated by optical microscopy and SEM. Specimens having a longer fatigue life had a particular morphology beside the inclusion at the fracture origin. The particular morphology looked optically dark and in the previous paper it was named the Optically Dark Area, ODA. The roughness inside ODA is larger than outside ODA. The relative size of the ODA to the size of the inclusion at the fracture origin increases with increase in fatigue life. Thus, the ODA is considered to have a crucial role in the mechanism of ultra long life fatigue failure. Direct evidences of existence of hydrogen at the inclusion at fracture origin are presented. It is presumed that the ODA is made by the cyclic stress coupled with the hydrogen which is trapped by the inclusion at the fracture origin. To verify the influence of hydrogen, specimens containing different levels of hydrogen were prepared by different heat treatments. The results obtained by fatigue tests of these specimens suggest that the hydrogen trapped by inclusions is a crucial factor which causes the ultra long fatigue failure of high strength steels. Aspects of the double S-N curve are also discussed in terms of experimental methods, specimen size and statistical distribution of inclusions sizes.

239 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of inclusion size on fatigue behavior of high strength steels in the very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime (>10(7) - 10(9) cycles is reviewed.
Abstract: The effect of inclusion size on fatigue behaviour of high strength steels in the very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime (>10(7) - 10(9) cycles) is reviewed. Internal fatigue fractures of high strength steels in the VHCF regime initiate mostly at non-metallic inclusions. The critical inclusion size below which it is hard to initiate fatigue cracking of high strength steels in the VHCF regime is found to be about half the critical value characteristic of the high cycle fatigue (HCF) regime (about 10(5) - 10(7) cycles). A stepwise or duplex S-N curve is observed in the VHCF regime. The shape and form of the S-N curves are affected by inclusion size and other factors including surface condition, residual stress, environment and loading modes. Fatigue strength and fatigue life for high strength steels have been found to obey inverse power laws with respect to inclusion size D of the form sigma(w)proportional to D-n1 and N-f proportional to D-n2 respectively. For fatigue strength, the exponent n(1) has been reported to be similar to 0.33 in the literature for the HCF regime and, more recently, to fall in the range 0.17-0.19 for the VHCF regime. For fatigue life, the exponent n(2) is reported to be similar to 3 in the HCF regime, and in the range 4.29-8.42 in the VHCF regime. A special area was often observed inside a 'fish eye' mark in the vicinity of a non-metallic inclusion acting as the fracture origin for specimens having a long fatigue life. The major mechanisms of formation for this special area are discussed. To estimate the fatigue strength and fatigue life, it is necessary to know the size of the maximum inclusion in a tested specimen, and to be able to infer this value using data from a small volume of steel. The statistics of extreme value (SEV) method and the generalised Pareto distribution (GPD) method are introduced and compared. Finally, unresolved problems and future work required in studying the VHCF of high strength steels are briefly presented.

131 citations