A comparative study of crack propagation in plates under extension and bending.
Fatigue crack propagation in thin plates under fluctuating plane extension and cylindrical bending
THIN PLATE↗
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Crack propagation at stresses below the fatigue limit.
Crack propagation for stainless steel and Ti alloy at stresses below fatigue limit, noting of alternating stress cycles crack propagation for stainless steel and Ti alloy at stresses below fatigue limit, noting role of alternating stress cycles
STAINLESS STEEL↗
An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Vacuum Environment on the Fatigue Life, Fatigue-Crack-Growth Behavior, and Fracture Toughness of 7075-T6 Aluminum Alloy
Axial load fatigue life, fatigue-crack propagation, and fracture toughness tests were conducted on 0.090-inch thick specimens made of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. The fatigue life and fatigue-crack propagation experiments were conducted at a stress ratio of 0.02. Maximum stresses ranged from 33 to 60 ksi in the fatigue life experiments, and from 10 to 40 ksi in the fatigue-crack propagation experiments, and fatigue life experiments were conducted at gas pressures of 760, 0.5, 0.05, and 0.00000005 torr. Fatigue-crack-growth and fracture toughness experiments were conducted at gas pressures of 760 and 5 x 10 to the minus 8th power torr. Residual stress measurements were made on selected fatigue life specimens to determine the effect of such stresses on fatigue life. Analysis of the results from the fatigue life experiments indicated that fatigue life progressively increased as the gas pressure decreased. Analysis of the results from the fatigue-crack-growth experiments indicates that at low values of stress-intensity range, the fatigue crack growth rates were approximately twice as high in air as in vacuum. Fracture toughness data showed there was essentially no difference in the fracture toughness of 7075-T6 in vacuum and in air.
Hudson, C. M.↗
A study of fatigue and fracture in 7075-T6 aluminum alloy in vacuum and air environments
Axial load fatigue life, fatigue-crack propagation, and fracture toughness experiments were conducted on sheet specimens made of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. These experiments were conducted at pressures ranging from atmospheric to 5 x 10 to the minus 8th torr. Analysis of the results from the fatigue life experiments indicated that for a given stress level, lower air pressures produced longer fatigue lives. At a pressure of 5 x 10 to the minus 8th torr fatigue lives were 15 or more times as long as at atmospheric pressure. Analysis of the results from the fatigue crack propagation experiments indicated that for small stress intensity factor ranges the fatigue crack propagation rates were up to twice as high at atmospheric pressure as in vacuum. The fracture toughness of 7075-T6 was unaffected by the vacuum environment. Fractographic examination showed that specimens tested in both vacuum and air developed fatigue striations. Considerably more striations developed on specimens tested at atmospheric pressure, however.
Hudson, C. M.↗
Studies of fatigue crack growth in alloys suitable for elevated-temperature applications
Axial load fatigue crack propagation in alloys at room, cryogenic, and high temperatures
CRACK PROPAGATION↗
Hot isostatically pressed manufacture of high strength MERL 76 disk and seal shapes
The feasibility of using MERL 76, an advanced high strength direct hot isostatic pressed powder metallurgy superalloy, as a full scale component in a high technology, long life, commercial turbine engine were demonstrated. The component was a JT9D first stage turbine disk. The JT9D disk rim temperature capability was increased by at least 22 C and the weight of JT9D high pressure turbine rotating components was reduced by at least 35 pounds by replacement of forged Superwaspaloy components with hot isostatic pressed (HIP) MERL 76 components. The process control plan and acceptance criteria for manufacture of MERL 76 HIP consolidated components were generated. Disk components were manufactured for spin/burst rig test, experimental engine tests, and design data generation, which established lower design properties including tensile, stress-rupture, 0.2% creep and notched (Kt = 2.5) low cycle fatigue properties, Sonntag, fatigue crack propagation, and low cycle fatigue crack threshold data. Direct HIP MERL 76, when compared to conventionally forged Superwaspaloy, is demonstrated to be superior in mechanical properties, increased rim temperature capability, reduced component weight, and reduced material cost by at least 30% based on 1980 costs.
Eng, R. D.↗
Crack tip field and fatigue crack growth in general yielding and low cycle fatigue
Fatigue life consists of crack nucleation and crack propagation periods. Fatigue crack nucleation period is shorter relative to the propagation period at higher stresses. Crack nucleation period of low cycle fatigue might even be shortened by material and fabrication defects and by environmental attack. In these cases, fatigue life is largely crack propagation period. The characteristic crack tip field was studied by the finite element method, and the crack tip field is related to the far field parameters: the deformation work density, and the product of applied stress and applied strain. The cyclic carck growth rates in specimens in general yielding as measured by Solomon are analyzed in terms of J-integral. A generalized crack behavior in terms of delta is developed. The relations between J and the far field parameters and the relation for the general cyclic crack growth behavior are used to analyze fatigue lives of specimens under general-yielding cyclic-load. Fatigue life is related to the applied stress and strain ranges, the deformation work density, crack nucleus size, fracture toughness, fatigue crack growth threshold, Young's modulus, and the cyclic yield stress and strain. The fatigue lives of two aluminum alloys correlate well with the deformation work density as depicted by the derived theory. The general relation is reduced to Coffin-Manson low cycle fatigue law in the high strain region.
Minzhong, Z.↗
FACTORS IN EVALUATING FATIGUE LIFE ON STRUCTURAL PARTS
Variable amplitude loading, fatigue loading, fatigue crack propagation and structural parts - fatigue life
VTOL AIRCRAFT↗
Analysis of fatigue, fatique-crack propagation, and fracture data
Analytical methods have been developed for consolidation of fatigue, fatigue-crack propagation, and fracture data for use in design of metallic aerospace structural components. To evaluate these methods, a comprehensive file of data on 2024 and 7075 aluminums, Ti-6A1-4V, and 300M and D6Ac steels was established. Data were obtained from both published literature and unpublished reports furnished by aerospace companies. Fatigue and fatigue-crack-propagation analyses were restricted to information obtained from constant-amplitude load or strain cycling of specimens in air at room temperature. Fracture toughness data were from tests of center-cracked tension panels, part-through crack specimens, and compact-tension specimens.
Jaske, C. E.↗
Gear crack propagation investigations
Analytical and experimental studies were performed to investigate the effect of gear rim thickness on crack propagation life. The FRANC (FRacture ANalysis Code) computer program was used to simulate crack propagation. The FRANC program used principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics, finite element modeling, and a unique re-meshing scheme to determine crack tip stress distributions, estimate stress intensity factors, and model crack propagation. Various fatigue crack growth models were used to estimate crack propagation life based on the calculated stress intensity factors. Experimental tests were performed in a gear fatigue rig to validate predicted crack propagation results. Test gears were installed with special crack propagation gages in the tooth fillet region to measure bending fatigue crack growth. Good correlation between predicted and measured crack growth was achieved when the fatigue crack closure concept was introduced into the analysis. As the gear rim thickness decreased, the compressive cyclic stress in the gear tooth fillet region increased. This retarded crack growth and increased the number of crack propagation cycles to failure.
Lewicki, David G.↗
Investigation of Helicopter Longeron Cracks
Four cracked longerons, containing a total of eight cracks, were provided for study. Cracked regions were cut from the longerons. Load was applied to open the cracks, enabling crack surface examination. Examination revealed that crack propagation was driven by fatigue loading in all eight cases. Fatigue crack initiation appears to have occurred on the top edge of the longerons near geometric changes that affect component bending stiffness. Additionally, metallurgical analysis has revealed a local depletion in alloying elements in the crack initiation regions that may be a contributing factor. Fatigue crack propagation appeared to be initially driven by opening-mode loading, but at a crack length of approximately 0.5 inches (12.7 mm), there is evidence of mixed-mode crack loading. For the longest cracks studied, shear-mode displacements destroyed crack-surface features of interest over significant portions of the crack surfaces.
Newman, John A.↗
Investigation of Cracks Found in Helicopter Longerons
Four cracked longerons, containing a total of eight cracks, were provided for study. Cracked regions were cut from the longerons. Load was applied to open the cracks, enabling crack surface examination. Examination revealed that crack propagation was driven by fatigue loading in all eight cases. Fatigue crack initiation appears to have occurred on the top edge of the longerons near geometric changes that affect component bending stiffness. Additionally, metallurigical analysis has revealed a local depletion in alloying elements in the crack initiation regions that may be a contributing factor. Fatigue crack propagation appeared to be initially driven by opening-mode loading, but at a crack length of approximately 0.5 inches (12.7 mm), there is evidence of mixed-mode crack loading. For the longest cracks studied, shear-mode displacements destroyed crack-surface features of interest over significant portions of the crack surfaces.
Newman, John A.↗
Thermographic characterization of stress during crack growth
A full-field-thermographic technique for imaging stress patterns in dynamically loaded structures using general purpose IR imaging and image processing hardware is described. The inspection technique is based on the thermoelastic effect. A simple geometry is examined, and the experimentally determined values for the stress invariant are shown to be consistent with theoretical and numerical calculations. The application of full-field-thermographic measurement would ensure that the observed stress field has a common sampling period, thus allowing the observation of rapidly occurring stress anomalies such as the propagation of a fatigue crack. Fatigue crack propagation in two consecutive thermoelastic stress images from an aluminum sample is shown.
Cramer, K. E.↗
Time-dependent corrosion fatique crack propagation in 7000 series aluminum alloys
The goal of this research is to characterize environmentally assisted subcritical crack growth for the susceptible short-longitudinal orientation of aluminum alloy 7075-T651, immersed in acidified and inhibited NaCl solution. This work is necessary in order to provide a basis for incorporating environmental effects into fatigue crack propagation life prediction codes such as NASA-FLAGRO (NASGRO). This effort concentrates on determining relevant inputs to a superposition model in order to more accurately model environmental fatigue crack propagation.
Mason, Mark E.↗
Factors in Evaluating Fatigue Life of Structural Parts
Three facets of fatigue testing are discussed in relation to problems involved in evaluating the fatigue life of structural parts. These facets are variable-amplitude loading, fatigue-crack propagation, and equivalent fatigue loading. Experimental test results are included to support conclusions.
Illg, Walter↗
Crack Growth Behavior in the Threshold Region for High Cycle Fatigue Loading
This presentation describes results obtained from a research project conducted at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) that was jointly supported by the FAA Technical Center and JSC. The JSC effort was part of a multi-task FAA program involving several U.S. laboratories and initiated for the purpose of developing enhanced analysis tools to assess damage tolerance of rotorcraft and aircraft propeller systems. The research results to be covered in this presentation include a new understanding of the behavior of fatigue crack growth in the threshold region. This behavior is important for structural life analysis of aircraft propeller systems and certain rotorcraft structural components (e.g., the mast). These components are often designed to not allow fatigue crack propagation to exceed an experimentally determined fatigue crack growth threshold value. During the FAA review meetings for the program, disagreements occurred between the researchers regarding the observed fanning (spread between the da/dN curves of constant R) in the threshold region at low stress ratios, R. Some participants believed that the fanning was a result of the ASTM load shedding test method for threshold testing, and thus did not represent the true characteristics of the material. If the fanning portion of the threshold value is deleted or not included in a life analysis, a significant penalty in the calculated life and design of the component would occur. The crack growth threshold behavior was previously studied and reported by several research investigators in the time period: 1970-1980. Those investigators used electron microscopes to view the crack morphology of the fatigue fracture surfaces. Their results showed that just before reaching threshold, the crack morphology often changed from a striated to a faceted or cleavage-like morphology. This change was reported to have been caused by particular dislocation properties of the material. Based on the results of these early investigations, a program was initiated at JSC to repeat these examinations on a number of aircraft structural alloys that were currently being tested for obtaining fatigue crack growth properties. These new scanning electron microscope (SEM) examinations of the fatigue fracture faces confirmed the change in crack morphology in the threshold crack tip region. In addition, SEM examinations were further performed in the threshold crack-tip region before breaking the specimens open (not done in the earlier published studies). In these examinations, extensive crack forking and even 90-degree crack bifurcations were found to have occurred in the final threshold crack-tip region. The forking and bifurcations caused numerous closure points to occur that prevented full crack closure in the threshold region, and thus were the cause of the fanning at low-R values. Therefore, we have shown that the fanning behavior was caused by intrinsic dislocation properties of the different alloy materials and were not the result of a plastic wake that remains from the load-shedding test phase. Also, to accommodate the use of da/dN data which includes fanning at low R-values, an updated fanning factor term has been developed and will be implemented into the NASGRO fatigue crack growth software. The term can be set to zero if it is desired that the fanning behavior is not be modeled for particular cases, such as when fanning is not a result of the intrinsic properties of a material.
Forman, Royce G.↗
Crack initiation and propagation in notched fatigue specimens
Crack initiation and propagation in notched fatigue specimens of annealed steel and aluminum
ALUMINUM↗
The effect of microstructure on the fatigue behavior of Ni base superalloys
Nickel-base superalloys are used in jet engine components such as disks, turbine blades, and vanes. Improvements in the fatigue behavior will allow the life to be extended or the payloads to be increased. The first part of the present investigation deals primarily with the effects of microstructural variations on the fatigue crack propagation (FCP) behavior of nickel-base alloys, while the second part is concerned with low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of Ni base systems. Waspaloy at low temperature is considered, taking into account material heat treatment and test procedures, a composite plot of Waspaloy FCP data, Paris law fatigue crack propagation constants, monotonic tensile data, and overload FCP test results for Waspaloy. It is found that the FCP and overload behavior of nickel-base alloys may be markedly improved by heat treating. Attention is given to effects of cyclic deformation on microstructure and substructure, environmental damage, and an environmental/deformation model of high temperature LCF.
Antolovich, S. D.↗