Showing papers on "Crack closure published in 2017"

Fatigue crack closure: a review of the physical phenomena.

Abstract: Plasticity-induced, roughness-induced and oxide-induced crack closures are reviewed. Special attention is devoted to the physical origin, the consequences for the experimental determination and the prediction of the effective crack driving force for fatigue crack propagation. Plasticity-induced crack closure under plane stress and plane strain conditions require, in principle, a different explanation; however, both types are predictable. This is even the case in the transition region from the plane strain to the plane stress state and all types of loading conditions including constant and variable amplitude loading, the short crack case or the transition from small-scale to large-scale yielding. In contrast, the prediction of roughness-induced and oxide-induced closures is not as straightforward.

Separating plasticity-induced closure and residual stress contributions to fatigue crack retardation following an overload

Abstract: The introduction of an overload or underload within a constant amplitude loading fatigue test leads to a retardation or acceleration of the Fatigue Crack Growth Rate (FCGR). The understanding of the causes of these effects is essential in the context of variable amplitude fatigue loading, since in principle any loading history can be represented as a sequence of overloads and underloads. In the case of overload, along with some other minor causes, the residual stress changes at the crack tip and crack closure behind the tip can be thought of as the main factors that affect the fatigue crack growth rate. Whilst this has been recognised and accepted for many decades, controversy persists regarding the relative significance and presence of these two effects, and consensus is yet to emerge. The effect of crack closure, when the baseline loading ratio is high enough, can be inhibited so that the main cause of retardation becomes doubtless the residual stress present ahead the crack tip. In the present paper we report our attempt to deconvolve the contributions of crack closure and residual stress on crack retardation following an overload. To accomplish this task we analyse the results of fatigue tests run at two baseline load ratios, namely R=0.1 and R=0.7. At the load ratio of R=0.7 the crack closure effect is not operative, as confirmed by Digital Image Correlation analysis of the crack flanks close to the tip, and post mortem fractographic analysis of crack surfaces. Therefore, for R=0.7 the compressive residual stress region created by the overload ahead of the crack tip is the sole mechanism causing crack retardation. Therefore, for R=0.7 the focus must be placed entirely on the strain field around the crack tip. To this end, line profiles along the crack bisector of elastic strain in the crack opening direction were collected at several stages of crack propagation past the overload using in situ Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction (SXRPD) technique. By performing comparison between the two loading conditions (R=0.7 and R=0.1), information was extracted regarding the role of residual stress alone, and then, by subtracting this effect for the R=0.1 sample, for crack closure alone. To enable this analysis, we propose a introducing the concept of equivalent effective stress intensity factor range, ∆ K eq , eff proposed by Walker. Afterwards, the SIF range reduction ratio, β , which represents the “knock down” factor with respect to the steady state growth was assessed. It is in terms of these newly introduced parameters that the magnitude and extent of the overload-induced crack growth rate retardation can be plotted, fitted and decomposed into closure and residual stress effects, respectively. It is concluded that although the residual stress effect is present at all values of the load ratio R, its effect is relatively short-lived, whilst the closure effect that is dominant at low values of R causes longer range retardation.

Dynamic crack propagation with a variational phase-field model: limiting speed, crack branching and velocity-toughening mechanisms

Abstract: We address the simulation of dynamic crack propagation in brittle materials using a regularized phase-field description, which can also be interpreted as a damage-gradient model. Benefiting from a variational framework, the dynamic evolution of the mechanical fields are obtained as a succession of energy minimizations. We investigate the capacity of such a simple model to reproduce specific experimental features of dynamic in-plane fracture. These include the crack branching phenomenon as well as the existence of a limiting crack velocity below the Rayleigh wave speed for mode I propagation. Numerical results show that, when a crack accelerates , the damaged band tends to widen in a direction perpendicular to the propagation direction, before forming two distinct macroscopic branches. This transition from a single crack propagation to a branched configuration is described by a well-defined master-curve of the apparent fracture energy Γ as an increasing function of the crack velocity. This Γ(v) relationship can be associated, from a macroscopic point of view, with the well-known velocity-toughening mechanism. These results also support the existence of a critical value of the energy release rate associated with branching: a critical value of approximately 2Gc is observed i.e. the fracture energy contribution of two crack tips. Finally, our work demonstrates the efficiency of the phase-field approach to simulate crack propagation dynamics interacting with heterogeneities, revealing the complex interplay between heterogeneity patterns and branching mechanisms.

Corrosion fatigue crack initiation and initial propagation mechanism of E690 steel in simulated seawater

Abstract: In the present paper, the corrosion fatigue crack initiation and initial propagation mechanism of E690 steel in simulated seawater were studied by stress-controlled fatigue tests and a series of subsequent characterizations on the fracture surface, microstructure and secondary cracks. Results show that the corrosion fatigue crack initiation and initial propagation mechanism evolves with elevated peak stress level in simulated seawater. When peak stress is far below the proof stress, cracks preferentially initiate at the parent austenite grain boundaries (PAGBs) with 68.4% probability and at the ferrite lath boundaries (FLBs) with 31.6% probability. Meanwhile, the cracks also preferentially propagate along the PAGBs and FLBs. Upon the peak stress close to or above the proof stress, cracks turn to initiate from the emerging corrosion pits and propagate without zigzag detour but by splitting the ferrite laths which transversely block its propagation way.

Fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rate properties in wire + arc additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract: This paper presents an experimental investigation of the fracture and fatigue crack growth properties of Ti-6Al-4V produced by the Wire + Arc Additive Manufacture (WAAM®) process. First, fracture toughness was measured for two different orientations with respect to the build direction; the effect of wire oxygen content and build strategy were also evaluated in the light of microstructure examination. Second, fatigue crack growth rates were measured for fully additive manufactured samples, as well as for samples containing an interface between WAAM® and wrought materials. The latter category covers five different scenarios of crack location and orientation with respect to the interface. Fatigue crack growth rates are compared with that of the wrought or WAAM® alone conditions. Crack growth trajectory of these tests is discussed in relation to the microstructure characteristics.

Study the dynamic crack path in brittle material under thermal shock loading by phase field modeling

Abstract: A thermal–mechanical coupled phase field fracture model is developed to study the complex dynamic crack propagation path in brittle material under thermal shock loading. By introducing a global continuum phase-field variable to describe the diffusive crack, the coupling between heat transfer, deformation and fracture is conveniently realized. A novel elastic energy density function is proposed to drive the evolution of phase-field variable in a more realistic way. The three-field coupling equations are efficiently solved by adopting a staggered time integration scheme. The coupled phase field fracture model is verified by comparing with three classical examples and is then applied to study the fracture of disk specimens under central thermal shock. The simulations reproduce the three different types of crack paths observed in experiments. It is found that the crack grows through the heating area straightly at lower heating body flux, while branches into two at higher heating body flux loading. The crack branching prefers to occur in the heating area with larger heating radius and prefers to occur outside the heating area with smaller heating radius. Interestingly, the crack branches when propagation speed is at its lowest point, and it always occurs close to the compression region. It is shown that the heterogeneous stress field induced by temperature inhomogeneity may have a strong influence on the crack branching under the thermal shock loading.

Microstructurally-sensitive fatigue crack nucleation in Ni-based single and oligo crystals

Abstract: An integrated experimental, characterisation and computational crystal plasticity study of cyclic plastic beam loading has been carried out for nickel single crystal (CMSX4) and oligocrystal (MAR002) alloys in order to assess quantitatively the mechanistic drivers for fatigue crack nucleation. The experimentally validated modelling provides knowledge of key microstructural quantities (accumulated slip, stress and GND density) at experimentally observed fatigue crack nucleation sites and it is shown that while each of these quantities is potentially important in crack nucleation, none of them in its own right is sufficient to be predictive. However, the local (elastic) stored energy density, measured over a length scale determined by the density of SSDs and GNDs, has been shown to predict crack nucleation sites in the single and oligocrystals tests. In addition, once primary nucleated cracks develop and are represented in the crystal model using XFEM, the stored energy correctly identifies where secondary fatigue cracks are observed to nucleate in experiments. This (Griffith-Stroh type) quantity also correctly differentiates and explains intergranular and transgranular fatigue crack nucleation.

A nonlocal damage model for plain concrete consistent with cohesive fracture

Abstract: A rate-independent damage constitutive law is proposed to describe the fracture of plain concrete under tensile loading. Here, the target scale is the individual crack. In order to deal with localised damage, the model is inherently nonlocal: the gradient of the damage field is explicitly involved in the constitutive equations; it is parameterised by a nonlocal length scale which is interpreted as the width of the process zone. The model is defined so that its predictions are close to those of a cohesive law for vanishing nonlocal length scales. Therefore, the current model is plainly consistent with cohesive zone model analyses: the nonlocal length scale appears as a small parameter which does not need any specific identification. And four parameters—among which the tensile strength and the fracture energy—enable to adjust the softening cohesive response. Besides, a special attention has been paid to the shape of the initial damage surface and to the relation between damage and stiffness. The damage surface takes into account not only the contrast between tensile and compressive strengths but also experimental evidences regarding its shape in multiaxial tension. And the damage–stiffness relation is defined so as to describe important phenomena such as the stiffness recovery with crack closure and the sustainability of compressive loads by damaged structures. Finally, several comparisons with experimental data (global force/opening responses, size dependency, curved crack paths, crack opening profiles) enable to validate qualitatively and quantitatively the pertinence of the constitutive law in 2D and 3D.

Characterisation of strain localisation processes during fatigue crack initiation and early crack propagation by SEM-DIC in an advanced disc alloy

Abstract: Fatigue failure processes in metallic materials are closely related to the evolution of strain localisation under cyclic loading. Characterisation of this strain localisation is important in understanding the mechanisms of fatigue crack initiation and propagation, and provides critical validation data to develop appropriate crystal plasticity models for prediction of these processes. In this study, strain localisation during fatigue crack initiation and early crack propagation in an advanced Ni-based superalloy for turbine disc application has been characterised at the grain level with a sub-micron resolution by digital image correlation on SEM images using secondary γ′ themselves as the speckle pattern. The obtained full-field strains have been analysed in global coordinates associated with the applied loading direction and in terms of the local coordinates associated with individual slip bands. Deformation arising from in-plane and out-of-plane dislocation slip can be identified by a combination of shear strain ɛxy and transverse strain ɛyy in the local slip band coordinates in combination with EBSD analysis. Cracks preferentially initiate from slip/strain bands adjacent and parallel to twin boundaries and then propagate along the slip/strain bands, leading to the onset of significant transverse strain ɛyy in the local band coordinates as a consequence of crack opening. Crack propagation is closely related to strain accumulation at the crack tip which is determined by the grain orientation and grain size. Transverse strain ɛyy in local slip band coordinates together with the inclination angle between dislocation slip direction on an activated {111} plane and the slip trace of this {111} plane at the specimen surface is proposed to be a cracking indicator/fracture criterion.