X. J. Wu

A transgranular fatigue crack growth model based on restricted slip reversibility

This article presents a transgranular fatigue crack growth model based on a restricted slip reversal process where the transgranular crack growth rate is related to the cyclic plastic strain range ahead of the crack tip. Upon applying deformation and fracture kinetics theories, a physically based constitutive law for fatigue crack growth rate is derived. In the absence of any environmental contributions to crack growth, the model takes the form of the Paris equation with a power law exponent of 3 at positiveR values. The model expresses the fatigue crack growth rate explicitly in terms of material properties, such as yield strength, work-hardening coefficient, microstructural quantities such as activation energy, activation volume, and work factor, as well as test constraints such asΔK andR. The absence of a fatigue threshold is predicted for test conditions where environment does not influence the crack growth process and the material microstructure remains stable.

Grain boundary sliding in the presence of grain boundary precipitates during transient creep

A constitutive rate equation for grain boundary sliding (GBS), in the presence of grain boundary precipitates, is developed. Langdon’s GBS model is modified by incorporating physically de-fined back stresses opposing dislocation glide and climb and by modifying the grain size de-pendence of creep rate. The rate equation accurately predicts the stress dependence of minimum creep rate and change in activation energy occurring as a result of changing the grain boundary precipitate distribution in complex Ni-base superalloys. The rate equation, along with the math-ematical formulations for internal stresses, is used to derive a transient creep model, where the transient is regarded as the combination of primary and secondary stages of creep in constant load creep tests. The transient creep model predicts that the transient creep strain is dependent on stress and independent of test temperature. It is predicted that a true steady-state creep will only be observed after an infinitely long time. However, tertiary creep mechanisms are expected to intervene and lead to an acceleration in creep rate long before the onset of a true steady state. The model accurately predicts the strain vs time relationships for transient creep in IN738LC Ni-base superalloy, containing different grain boundary carbide distributions, over a range of temperatures.

The orientation dependence of fatigue-crack growth in 8090 Al-Li plate

A series of fatigue-crack growth rate (FCGR) tests was carried out on 8090 Al-Li plate to examine the effects of specimen orientation on fatigue-crack growth. The directionality of fatigue fracture behavior is found to be related to the strong {110}〈112〉 texture in this alloy. Based on a previously developed transgranular FCGR model using restricted slip reversibility (RSR) concepts, [1] a mechanistic model is developed for transgranular fatigue-crack growth in highly textured materials. The model takes the form of the Paris relationship with a power law exponent of 3, and the material texture is shown to strongly influence the proportional factor. The effect of texture on FCGR is related through a geometric factor cos2ϕ, where ϕ defines the angle between the load axis and the normal of the favorable slip plane. The effect of specimen orientation on FCGR in 8090 Al-Li alloy is shown to be related to a combination of its anisotropic mechanical properties and the variation of angleϕ with specimen orientation. The model further predicts that fatigue-crack growth rates will be slower in many textured materials than texturefree materials becauseϕ > 0 and cos2ϕ < 1.

Effects of Temperature on the Hardness and Wear Resistance of High-Tungsten Stellite Alloys

In this research, two new Stellite alloys containing high tungsten are developed for wear resistance application owing to the distinct beneficial effects of tungsten in Stellite alloys. The microstructures of these alloys are analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an EDAX energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy system and X-ray diffraction spectrum. The micro-hardness and wear resistance of the alloys at room temperature and at elevated temperatures are investigated utilizing a Microhardness Tester Unit, with a Hot Stage, and a Hot Pin-on-Disk Tribometer, respectively. The wear test results of these alloys are compared with those of commercial wear-resistant Stellite 3 and Stellite 12. The worn surfaces of the specimens are analyzed using SEM/EDX to explore the wear mechanisms of these alloys with temperature change. The variations of hardness and wear resistance of these alloys with temperature are studied and discussed.

Near-threshold fatigue crack growth in 8090 Al-Li alloy

Near-threshold fatigue crack growth was studied in 8090-T8771 Al-Li alloy tested in moist laboratory air. The testing was conducted using (1) the ASTM E-647 load-shedding procedure, (2) a power-law load-shedding procedure, and (3) a constant-amplitude (CA) loading procedure. Crack closure in the three procedures was analyzed. In reconciling fatigue crack growth rates (FCGRs) with different crack closure levels under identical testing parameters, the conventional ΔKeff (=Kmax —Kop) fails to correlate the test data and the modified ΔKeff (=Kmax-χKop, where χ is the shielding factor, defined by an energy approach) is proven to be the true crack driving force. A parallel slip-rupture model is proposed to describe the mechanism of near-threshold fatigue crack growth in this alloy. The model explains the mode transition from crystallographic slip band cracking (SBC) to subgrain boundary cracking (SGC)/brittle fracture (BF) in terms of a microstructure-environment synergy. The transition is related to the material’s short-transverse grain size.

An Improved Shell Theory Applied for Failure Analysis of Pressure Vessels

Crack-face closure occurs physically at the compressive edges when a shell is subjected to bending loads. However, in traditional shell theories, crack closure effects are not concerned when evaluating the stress intensity factor (SIF). In reality, crack closure effects influence significantly the SIF. This article presents the theoretical and numerical analyses of crack-face closure effects on the stress intensity factor of shells under bending. The theoretical formulation is based on the shallow shell theory of Delale and Erdogan, incorporating the effects of crack-face closure, which are modeled by a line contact at the compressive edges of the crack faces. It is shown that due to curvature effects crack closure in shells may not occur on the entire length of the crack, depending on the nature of the bending loading and the geometry of the shell. To validate the theoretical solution finite element analysis (FEA) is also performed; the two results agree well. As an example, the stress intensity factor for a pressurized cylinder containing an axial crack is determined based on the improved shell theory which takes into account the effects of crack-face closure.© 2011 ASME

Crack Closure Effects in a Cracked Cylinder Under Pressure

The circumferential stress varies through the wall thickness when a cylinder is subjected to internal or external pressure. Internal pressure will induce tensile circumferential stress while external pressure compressive stress, in terms of the thick-walled cylinder theory [1]. The resultant stress due to the synergetic contribution of internal and external pressure may be tensile at the inner surface and compressive at the outer surface or vice versa in some cases, depending on the load levels, which would lead to crack-face closure at the compressive edges when the cylinder contains an axial crack. Historically, crack problems in shells were formulated in terms of either the classical theory [2] or the transverse shear theory [3], which were all based on the linearized shallow shell theory [4]–[6]. However, one deficiency of these solutions is that the crack face interpenetration or overlap was allowed at the compressive edge when a bending load was involved, which is physically unrealistic. In reality, crack-face closure on the compressive edge may occur when a shell or plate containing a through-the-thickness crack is subjected to bending load. The present research is aimed to develop a formulation for the determination of stress intensity factor for a cylinder containing an axial crack, which incorporates the effect of the crack-face closure.

Fracture mechanics of specially orthotropic shells containing a crack

This article presents a theoretical analysis of specially-orthotropic shells containing a crack in terms of a crack-closure theory. The formulation of Delale and Erdogan for crack problems in shells is extended to include the effect of crack-face closure. The influence of material orthotropy and shell curvatures on the closure behaviour and consequently on the stress intensity factor are studied. It is demonstrated that crack-face closure has a significant impact on the stress intensity factor and it tends to reduce the maximum stress intensity factor. The crack-face closure effect on the stress intensity factor increases with the shell radii. In flat plates, as a special case of shells when the shell radii become infinitely large, the difference of the closure stress intensity factor between the closure case and non-closure case has a maximum. The influence of material orthotropy on the closure behaviour varies with the ratio of the two shell curvatures.