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At least 325 records · Page 18

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NASA NTRS1992

A differential CDM model for fatigue of unidirectional metal matrix composites

A multiaxial, isothermal, continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model for fatigue of a unidirectional metal matrix composite volume element is presented. The model is phenomenological, stress based, and assumes a single scalar internal damage variable, the evolution of which is anisotropic. The development of the fatigue damage model, (i.e., evolutionary law) is based on the definition of an initially transversely isotropic fatigue limit surface, a static fracture surface, and a normalized stress amplitude function. The anisotropy of these surfaces and function, and therefore the model, is defined through physically meaningful invariants reflecting the local stress and material orientation. This transversely isotropic model is shown, when taken to it's isotropic limit, to directly simplify to a previously developed and validated isotropic fatigue continuum damage model. Results of a nondimensional parametric study illustrate (1) the flexibility of the present formulation in attempting to characterize a class of composite materials, and (2) the capability of the formulation in predicting anticipated qualitative trends in the fatigue behavior of unidirectional metal matrix composites. Also, specific material parameters representing an initial characterization of the composite system SiC/Ti 15-3 and the matrix material (Ti 15-3) are reported.

Arnold, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Environmental fatigue in aluminum-lithium alloys

Aluminum-lithium alloys exhibit similar environmental fatigue crack growth characteristics compared to conventional 2000 series alloys and are more resistant to environmental fatigue compared to 7000 series alloys. The superior fatigue crack growth behavior of Al-Li alloys 2090, 2091, 8090, and 8091 is due to crack closure caused by tortuous crack path morphology and crack surface corrosion products. At high R and reduced closure, chemical environment effects are pronounced resulting in accelerated near threshold da/dN. The beneficial effects of crack closure are minimized for small cracks resulting in rapid growth rates. Limited data suggest that the 'chemically small crack' effect, observed in other alloy system, is not pronounced in Al-Li alloys. Modeling of environmental fatigue in Al-Li-Cu alloys related accelerated fatigue crack growth in moist air and salt water to hydrogen embrittlement.

Piascik, Robert S.↗

NASA NTRS1991

The fatigue behaviour of orthotropic laminates under tension-compression loading

The fatigue behavior of orthotropic laminates (0, +/-45, 0 deg)2s and (90, +/-45, 90 deg)2s, has been evaluated under alternating tension-compression loading. Even though the first laminate is much stronger than the second, both started to fail by delamination. Visual damage started to show only at the very end of the fatigue life but measurement of the stiffness showed that degradation starts at about 80 percent of the fatigue life. The first laminate failed in compression after delamination between the 0 and the 45 deg laminae, while the second failed in tension after delamination between the +45 and -45 deg laminae. It is shown that the interlaminar fatigue strength of both laminate structures can be correlated to the applied fatigue load.

Rotem, A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Isothermal fatigue behaviour of a (90 deg)8 SiC/Ti-15-3 composite at 426 C

The transverse fatigue behavior of a unidirectional SiC/Ti-15-3 composite is characterized at 426 C. The fatigue behavior of this composite along the (0 deg)8 fiber direction and that of unreinforced Ti-15-3 alloy is compared. It is found that the (90 deg)8 composite fatigue life is much shorter than that of the (0 deg)8 composite. The (90 deg)8 fatigue life is much lower than that of the unreinforced Ti-15-3 alloy. Results from 1D model and fractographic evidence for the (90 deg)8 fatigue behavior indicate that the short life of the composite in this orientation is caused by weak fiber-matrix bond strength.

Gayda, J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Thermomechanical and bithermal fatigue behavior of cast B1900 + Hf and wrought Haynes 188

A thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) high-temperature life prediction method has been evaluated using the experimental data. Bithermal fatigue (BTF), bithermal creep-fatigue (BTC-F), and TMF experiments were performed using two aerospace structural alloys, cast B1900 + Hf and wrought Haynes 188. The method which is based on the total strain version of strain range partitioning and unified cyclic constitutive modeling requires, as an input, information on the flow and failure behavior of the material of interest. Bithermal temperatures of 483 and 871 C were used for the cast B1900 + Hf nickel-base alloy and 316 and 760 C for the wrought Haynes 188 cobalt-base alloy. Maximum and minimum temperatures were also used in both TMF and BTF tests. Comparisons were made between the results of these tests and isothermal tensile and fatigue test data obtained previously. Qualitative correlations were observed between tensile and isothermal fatigue tests.

Halford, G. R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Considerations concerning fatigue life of metal matrix composites

Since metal matrix composites (MMC) are composed from two very distinct materials each having their own physical and mechanical properties, it is feasible that the fatigue resistance depends on the strength of the weaker constituent. Based on this assumption, isothermal fatigue lives of several MMC's were analyzed utilizing a fatigue life diagram approach. For each MMC, the fatigue life diagram was quantified using the mechanical properties of its constituents. The fatigue life regions controlled by fiber fracture and matrix were also quantitatively defined.

Radhakrishnan, V. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Fatigue-environment interactions in a SiC/Ti-15-3 composite

Load-controlled isothermal and nonisothermal fatigue lives of a (0-deg)s SiC/Ti-15-3 were evaluated at temperatures between 150 and 550 C and a target strain range of about 0.45 percent. In nonisothermal fatigue tests, load was first cycled at minimum temperature and then temperature was cycled at zero load. For fatigue tests with peak temperatures at or above 300 C, fatigue life was dramatically reduced compared to that at 150 C. The shortest life was produced by the nonisothermal test with the greatest temperature range (Delta T = 400 C) and highest peak temperature (T(max) = 550 C). Vacuum testing showed that much of the life reduction under isothermal and nonisothermal conditions was related to environmental effects, although the nature of the fatigue-environment interaction was decidedly different for the isothermal and nonisothermal test cycles which were studied.

Gayda, J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A systems approach to solder joint fatigue in spacecraft electronic packaging

Differential expansion induced fatigue resulting from temperature cycling is a leading cause of solder joint failures in spacecraft. Achieving high reliability flight hardware requires that each element of the fatigue issue be addressed carefully. This includes defining the complete thermal-cycle environment to be experienced by the hardware, developing electronic packaging concepts that are consistent with the defined environments, and validating the completed designs with a thorough qualification and acceptance test program. This paper describes a useful systems approach to solder fatigue based principally on the fundamental log-strain versus log-cycles-to-failure behavior of fatigue. This fundamental behavior has been useful to integrate diverse ground test and flight operational thermal-cycle environments into a unified electronics design approach. Each element of the approach reflects both the mechanism physics that control solder fatigue, as well as the practical realities of the hardware build, test, delivery, and application cycle.

Ross, R. G., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Effect of mission cycling on the fatigue performance of SiC-coated carbon-carbon composites

The effects of thermal and pressure cycling on the fatigue performance of carbon-carbon composites, and the influence of mission cycling on these effects, were investigated by subjecting both virgin and mission-cycled two-dimensional specimens of SiC-coated carbon-carbon composites to fatigue tests, conducted at room temperature in three-point bending, with a stress ratio of 0.2 and a frequency of 1 Hz. It was found that the fatigue strength of C-C composites is high (about 90 percent of the ultimate flexural strength), but decreased with the mission cycling. The lowering of the fatigue strength with mission cycling is attributed to the increase in interfacial bond strength due to thermal and pressure cycling of the material. The already high sensitivity of C-C composites to stress during cyclic loading increases further with the amount of mission cycling. Results of NDE suggest that the damage growth in virgin C-C, in the high-cycle range, is slow at the initial stage of the cyclic life, but propagates rapidly after certain threshold cycles of the fatigue life.

Mahfuz, H.↗

NASA NTRS1942

The direct-stress fatigue strength of 17S-T aluminum alloy throughout the range from 1/2 to 500,000,000 cycles of stress

Fatigue-test were conducted on six specimens made from 3/4-inch-diameter 17S-T rolled-and-drawn rod for the purpose of obtaining additional data on the fatigue life of the material at stresses up to the static strength. The specimens were tested in direct tension using a stress range from zero to a maximum in tension. A static testing machine was used to apply repeated loads in the case of the first three specimens; the other three specimens were tested in a direct tension-compression fatigue machine. The direct-stress fatigue curve obtained for the material indicates that, in the range of stresses above about two-thirds the tensile strength, the fatigue strength is higher than might be expected by simply extrapolating the ordinary curve of stress plotted against the number of cycles determined at lower stresses.

Hartmann, E C↗

NASA NTRS1993

Thermomechanical and isothermal fatigue behavior of a (90)sub 8 titanium matrix composite

An experimental investigation was conducted to analyze the fatigue damage mechanisms operative in a 35 fiber volume percent (90 deg) titanium matrix composite (TMC) under 427 C isothermal and thermomechanical loading conditions. The thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) tests were performed with a temperature cycle from 200 to 427 C under closely controlled conditions to define both the deformation and fatigue life behavior. Degradation of the TMC's isothermal elastic moduli and coefficient of thermal expansion were monitored throughout the TMF tests. The results indicated TMF life trends which contrasted those established in a comparable (0 deg) system, as TMF loading of the (90 deg) TMC was not found to be 'life-limiting' in comparison to maximum temperature isothermal conditions. In-phase lives were very similar to those established under 427 C isothermal conditions. High stress isothermal fatigue at 427 C produced increased strain ratchetting and stiffness degradation relative to TMF conditions. Out-of-phase loadings produced TMF lives approximately an order of magnitude greater than the lives determined under isothermal and in-phase conditions. Extensive fractography and metallography were also performed. Two key issues were identified and appeared to dominate the fatigue damage and life of the (90 deg) TMC, namely, the weak fiber/matrix interface and environmental attack of the fiber/matrix interface via the exposed (90 deg) fiber ends.

Castelli, Michael G.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Brief summary of the evolution of high-temperature creep-fatigue life prediction models for crack initiation

The evolution of high-temperature, creep-fatigue, life-prediction methods used for cyclic crack initiation is traced from inception in the late 1940's. The methods reviewed are material models as opposed to structural life prediction models. Material life models are used by both structural durability analysts and by material scientists. The latter use micromechanistic models as guidance to improve a material's crack initiation resistance. Nearly one hundred approaches and their variations have been proposed to date. This proliferation poses a problem in deciding which method is most appropriate for a given application. Approaches were identified as being combinations of thirteen different classifications. This review is intended to aid both developers and users of high-temperature fatigue life prediction methods by providing a background from which choices can be made. The need for high-temperature, fatigue-life prediction methods followed immediately on the heels of the development of large, costly, high-technology industrial and aerospace equipment immediately following the second world war. Major advances were made in the design and manufacture of high-temperature, high-pressure boilers and steam turbines, nuclear reactors, high-temperature forming dies, high-performance poppet valves, aeronautical gas turbine engines, reusable rocket engines, etc. These advances could no longer be accomplished simply by trial and error using the 'build-em and bust-em' approach. Development lead times were too great and costs too prohibitive to retain such an approach. Analytic assessments of anticipated performance, cost, and durability were introduced to cut costs and shorten lead times. The analytic tools were quite primitive at first and out of necessity evolved in parallel with hardware development. After forty years more descriptive, more accurate, and more efficient analytic tools are being developed. These include thermal-structural finite element and boundary element analyses, advanced constitutive stress-strain-temperature-time relations, and creep-fatigue-environmental models for crack initiation and propagation. The high-temperature durability methods that have evolved for calculating high-temperature fatigue crack initiation lives of structural engineering materials are addressed. Only a few of the methods were refined to the point of being directly useable in design. Recently, two of the methods were transcribed into computer software for use with personal computers.

Halford, Gary R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An experimental investigation of fatigue damage in aluminum 2024-T3 alloys

Aluminum alloys are finding increasing use in the aerospace and automobile industries due to their attractive low density-high modulus and low density-high strength characteristics. Unfortunately, cyclic stress-strain deformation alters the microstructure of the material. These structural changes can lead to fatigue damage and ultimately service failure. Therefore, in order to assess the integrity of the alloy, a correlation between fatigue damage and a measurable microstructural property is needed. Aluminum 2024-T3, a commonly used commercial alloy, contains many grains (individual crystals) of various orientations. The sizes and orientations of these grains are known to affect the strength, hardness, and magnetic permeability of polycrystalline alloys and metals; therefore, perhaps a relationship between a grain property and the fatigue state can be established. Tension-compression cycling in aluminum alloys can also induce changes in their dislocation densities. These changes can be studied from measurements of the electrical resistivities of the materials. Consequently, the goals of this investigation were: to study the grain orientation of aluminum 2024-T3 and to seek a correlation between the grain orientation and the fatigue state of the material; and to measure the electrical resistivities of fatigued samples of aluminum 2024-T3 and to interpret the findings.

Ferguson, Milton W.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Surface Fatigue Life of High Temperature Gear Materials

Three high temperature gear materials were evaluated using spur gear surface fatigue tests. These materials were, VASCO max 350, VASCO matrix 2, and nitralloy N and were evaluated for possible use in high temperature gear applications. The fatigue life of the three high temperature gear materials were compared with the life of the standard AISI 9310 aircraft gear material. Surface fatigue tests were conducted at a lubricant inlet temperature of 321 K (120 F), a lubricant outlet temperature of 350 K (170 F), a maximum Hertz stress of 1.71 GPa (248 ksi), a speed of 10,000 rpm, and with a synthetic paraffinic lubricant. The life of the nitralloy N was approximately the same as the AISI 9310, the life of the VASCO max 350 was much less than the AISI 9310 while the life of the VASCO matrix 2 was several times the life of the AISI 9310. The VASCO max 350 also showed very low fracture toughness with approximately half of the gears failed by tooth fracture through the fatigue spall. The VASCO matrix 2 had approximately 10-percent fracture failure through the fatigue spalls indicating moderate to good fracture toughness.

Townsend, Dennis P.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Microstructurally based model of fatigue initiation and growth

A model to calculate fatigue life is developed based on the assumption that fatigue life is entirely composed of crack growth from an initial microstructural inhomogeneity. Specifically, growth is considered to start from either an ellipsoidal void, a cracked particle, or a debonded particle. The capability of predicting fatigue life from material microstructure is based on linear elastic fracture mechanics principles, the sizes of the crack-initiating microstructural inhomogeneities, and an initiation parameter that is proportional to the cyclic plastic zone size. A key aspect of this modeling approach is that it is linked with a general purpose probability program to analyze the effect of the distribution of controlling microstructural features within the material. This enables prediction of fatigue stress versus life curves for various specimen geometries using distributional statistics obtained from characterizations of the microstructure. Results are compared to experimental fatigue data from an aluminum alloy.

Brockenbrough, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Corrosion and corrosion fatigue of airframe aluminum alloys

Localized corrosion and corrosion fatigue crack nucleation and growth are recognized as degradation mechanisms that effect the durability and integrity of commercial transport aircraft. Mechanically based understanding is needed to aid the development of effective methodologies for assessing durability and integrity of airframe components. As a part of the methodology development, experiments on pitting corrosion, and on corrosion fatigue crack nucleation and early growth from these pits were conducted. Pitting was found to be associated with constituent particles in the alloys and pit growth often involved coalescence of individual particle-nucleated pits, both laterally and in depth. Fatigue cracks typically nucleated from one of the larger pits that formed by a cluster of particles. The size of pit at which fatigue crack nucleates is a function of stress level and fatigue loading frequency. The experimental results are summarized, and their implications on service performance and life prediction are discussed.

Chen, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The characterization of widespread fatigue damage in fuselage structure

The characteristics of widespread fatigue damage (WSFD) in fuselage riveted structure were established by detailed nondestructive and destructive examinations of fatigue damage contained in a full size fuselage test article. The objectives of this were to establish an experimental data base for validating emerging WSFD analytical prediction methodology and to identify first order effects that contribute to fatigue crack initiation and growth. Detailed examinations were performed on a test panel containing four bays of a riveted lap splice joint. The panel was removed from a full scale fuselage test article after receiving 60,000 full pressurization cycles. The results of in situ examinations document the progression of fuselage skin fatigue crack growth through crack linkup. Detailed tear down examinations and fractography of the lap splice joint region revealed fatigue crack initiation sites, crack morphology, and crack linkup geometry. From this large data base, distributions of crack size and locations are presented and discussions of operative damage mechanisms are offered.

Piascik, Robert S.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The characterization of widespread fatigue damage in fuselage structure

The characteristics of widespread fatigue damage (WSFD) in fuselage riveted structure were established by detailed nondestructive and destructive examinations of fatigue damage contained in a full size fuselage test article. The objectives of this work were to establish an experimental data base for validating emerging WSFD analytical prediction methodology and to identify first order effects that contribute to fatigue crack initiation and growth. Detailed examinations were performed on a test panel containing four bays of a riveted lap splice joint. The panel was removed from a full scale fuselage test article after receiving 60,000 full pressurization cycles. The results of in situ examinations document the progression of fuselage skin fatigue crack growth through crack linkup. Detailed tear down examinations and fractography of the lap splice joint region revealed fatigue crack initiation sites, crack morphology and crack linkup geometry. From this large data base, distributions of crack size and locations are presented and discussions of operative damage mechanisms are offered.

Piascik, Robert S.↗