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At least 1,657 records · Page 92

Sandia fracture challenge 2: Sandia California's modeling approach

The second Sandia Fracture Challenge illustrates that predicting the ductile fracture of Ti-6Al-4V subjected to moderate and elevated rates of loading requires thermomechanical coupling, elasto-thermo-poro-viscoplastic constitutive models with the physics of anisotropy and regularized numerical methods for crack initiation and propagation. We detail our initial approach with an emphasis on iterative calibration and systematically increasing complexity to accommodate anisotropy in the context of an isotropic material model. Blind predictions illustrate strengths and weaknesses of our initial approach. We then revisit our findings to illustrate the importance of including anisotropy in the failure process. Furthermore, mesh-independent solutions of continuum damage models having both isotropic and anisotropic yields surfaces are obtained through nonlocality and localization elements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Temperature and radiation effects on brittle versus ductile fracture behavior in miscible phase boundaries: insight from atomistic simulations

Temperature- and irradiation-assisted failure mechanisms in miscible phase boundaries are clarified via atomistic calculations. We first establish the temperature-dependent brittle-to-ductile transition in U–Zr miscible phase boundaries. Our results confirm that these boundaries are mostly brittle at low temperatures and ductile at elevated temperatures. We then investigate the changes induced by irradiation on the fracture mechanisms in such phase boundaries. The irradiation-induced defect accumulation follows a multi-stage process that starts with the accumulation of isolated small dislocation loops before transitioning to the saturation and growth of larger dislocation loops and end up with a reorganization into forest dislocations. The accumulation of loops is the primary feature to participate in the delineation between brittle and ductile interfacial fracture in irradiated phase boundaries. At low damage levels, radiation defect interactions with the crack tip are limited and U–Zr miscible boundaries fail through the emission of dislocations ahead of the crack tip followed by brittle cleavage in agreement with the classical Griffith’s criterion for crack stability. At higher damage levels, the failure mode transitions from brittle crack growth to ductile void growth. In this case, the microcrack tip is blunted by the high density of pre-existing, radiation-induced defects in the vicinity of the crack. This interaction leads to the development and growth of a cavity at the interface as opposed to interfacial cleavage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Crosslinked Polyacrylamide Composite Hydrogels Impregnated with Fly Ash: Synthesis, Characterization and Their Application as Fractures Sealant for High Water Producing Zones in Oil and Gas Wells

Polymeric hydrogels are designed to serve many purposes in various fields of human endeavor. Herein, crosslinked polyacrylamide (PAM) composite hydrogels impregnated with coal fly ash (CFA) were synthesized, characterized and tested as fracture sealing agents in high water producing permeable zones in petroleum industry. The concept of utilizing CFA as an inorganic additive in the matrix of hydrogel emanates from the fact that CFA constitutes majorly alumina and silica. Both chemical oxides can induce the CFA to promote the inherent properties of hydrogel. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was chosen as the crosslinking agent. Neat PAM/PEI hydrogel and PAM/PEI–CFA hydrogels at various CFA loadings (0.5, 1 and 2 wt%) were synthesized via a transamidation reaction pathway. The developed hydrogels were characterized by hybrid rheometer, FTIR, SEM and XRD instruments. Rheological results reveal that the PAM/PEI–CFA composite hydrogels embedded with various CFA quantities were more elastic than the neat PAM/PEI hydrogel, indicating the dispersion and reinforcing effect of CFA. The functional groups of these hydrogels were confirmed by the FTIR while SEM analysis show that the surface micrographs of neat PAM/PEI hydrogel and PAM/PEI–CFA1 hydrogel were porous in several regions. In contrast, the micrographs of PAM/PEI–CFA2 and PAM/PEI–CFA3 hydrogels demonstrated dense and “net-like” structural patterns. Further, XRD analysis revealed that CFA impregnation has a significant effect on the bulk structural properties of the fabricated hydrogels. The swelling rates of these hydrogels were determined by the gravimetric method and their diffusion parameters evaluated using Fickian diffusion and Schott-order kinetic models. Efficacy of the PAM/PEI–CFA composite hydrogel as fractures sealant in oil and gas wells was conducted at a typical reservoir temperature, 90 °C, and the outcome demonstrated considerable sealing potency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of Talc on Mechanical Characteristics and Fracture Toughness of Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(butylene succinate) Blend

This research investigates the effect of talc additive on physical and mechanical characteristics of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) polymer blend. In the study, the talc content is varied between 0, 5, 10, and 20 parts per hundred resin (phr) and the PLA/PBS ratio is 80/20 w/w. The results reveal that talc enhances the mechanical properties of PLA/PBS blend. Specifically, tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and impact strength of PLA/PBS/talc composite increase as talc content rises. In addition, fracture toughness increases substantially as talc quantity is raised. The enhanced fracture toughness is attributable to nucleation of talc which promotes crystallization of PLA while hindering PBS crystal growth. Moreover, morphology analysis shows efficient distribution of talc in the polymer matrix.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A new approach to evaluate temperature distribution and stress fracture within solid state lasers

This work presents a new approach to determine the maximum allowable pump power that causes fractures in solid-state lasers. By considering temperature-dependent-thermal conductivity, heat equation was solved and an analytical thermal model of laser diode double end-pumped cylindrical laser rod was deduced. Taking into account two unequal pump radii focused on each rod faces, the temperature distribution and thermal stresses components were calculated at the two end faces of the rod under top-hat pump profile. The results showed that at the maximum total pump power of 200 W (80 W on the right side and 120 W on the left side) the rod is subject to fracture.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Analysis on the Fracture of Al-Cu Dissimilar Materials Friction Stir Welding Lap Joint

Friction stir welding (FWS) is regarded as a more plausible alternative to other welding methods for Al-Cu dissimilar joining. However, the structure of an FSW joint is different from others. In this study, lap joints of 6061 aluminum alloy and commercially pure copper were produced by FSW, and the effects of rotation rate on macromorphology, microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. In addition, a fracture J integral model was used to analyze the effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties. The results revealed that the macrodefect-free joints were obtained at a feed rate of 150 mm/min and 1100 rpm and that the failure load of the joint reached as high as 4.57 kN and only reached 2.91 kN for the 900 rpm, where tunnel defects were identified. Particle-rich zones composed of Cu particles dispersed in an Al matrix, and “Flow tracks” were observed by the EDS. The J integral results showed that the microdefects on the advancing side cause serious stress concentration compared with the microdefects located on the Al-Cu interface, resulting in the fracture of the joints.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effects of Strain Rate on Tensile Deformation and Fracture Behavior of Directionally Solidified Superalloy DZ125L

The tensile deformation and fracture behavior of directionally solidified superalloy DZ125L were studied with a strain rate ranging from 10{sup −3} to 7 × 10{sup 2} s{sup −1} at room temperature. Results show that the strength of DZ125L alloy presents positive strain rate sensitivity in tested strain rate range which is mainly resulted from the increasing accumulation of dislocations in the matrix. The ductility of the alloy first increases and then it remains insensitive with the increase in strain rates. The enhancement of ductility is primarily due to the increasing amount of broken MC carbides and plastic deformation in the matrix at higher strain rates. The strain rates influence the amount of broken MC carbides and then affect the deformation behavior of the alloy. Based on observations and discussions of the lateral microstructures and dislocations, it is concluded that the MC carbides with sizes larger than 10 μm are easy broken in the early deformation stage and act as crack sources during the proceeding plastic deformation. The growth and connection of microcracks and the propagation of main crack lead to the fracture of the matrix.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fatigue and Fracture Behavior of Induction-Hardened and Superimposed Mechanically Post-treated Steel Surface Layers

This paper focuses on the effect of induction hardening and superimposed stroke peening, as mechanical post-treatment, on the fatigue and fracture behavior of gas engine 50CrMo4 steel crankshafts. Comprehensive analysis in regard to local microstructure, hardness and residual stress profile in depth is performed to examine the local characteristics of the investigated crankshafts and the representative notched round specimens. An evaluation of the equivalent von Mises residual stress condition in depth demonstrates an increase by over 70% of the average compressive residual stress state due to the superimposed stroke peening compared to the induction-hardened condition. Rotating bending fatigue tests reveal that the additional stroke-peening process elevates the high-cycle fatigue strength of the induction-hardened surface layer by 20%, which validates the beneficial effect of the enhanced compressive residual stress state. An extensive fracture surface analysis presents the position of crack initiation for each investigated manufacturing condition indicating that the failure origin preferably starts at the surface for higher load levels. On the contrary, the crack initiation shifts beneath the hardened layer in case of lower load levels leading to subsurface failure origin.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of Strain Rate on the Plastic Deformation and Fracture of 90W-7Ni-3Fe Alloy Prepared by Liquid-Phase Sintering

In this study, the effect of the strain rates on the plastic deformation behavior and fracture mechanism of 90W-7Ni-3Fe heavy alloy prepared by liquid-phase sintering was investigated. Stress–strain tests were carried out in tensile and compression under quasi-static condition with the strain rate ranging from 10{sup −3} to 1 s{sup −1}. Dynamic test was examined using a compression split Hopkinson bar at strain rates ranging from 1000 to 1700 s{sup −1} in order to evaluate the effects of high strain rate on dynamic plastic deformation behavior. Quasi-static tests results show that the strength and hardness of this alloy increase with increasing strain rate. Results indicate that the as-sintered 90W-7Ni-3Fe heavy alloy has obvious strain-hardening characteristic under tensile or compression deformation under quasi-static condition. At this time, strain hardening is the main factor. Nevertheless, strain-hardening and strain-softening behaviors of the specimens occur simultaneously under dynamic compression condition. The effect of compressive stress on the work hardening is more obvious. A strong relevance of work-hardening effect on strain rate is also found. And the fracture mode of quasi-static and dynamic compression samples is also different.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of Annealing on the Impact Resistance and Fracture Mechanism of PNC-60 Sinters After Cold Plastic Deformation

Compaction of sintered metal powders by free upsetting at room temperature dangerously reduces their plastic properties, particularly the fracture toughness. The reason for the occurrence of two unfavorable phenomena accompanying this deformation route is sought. The first phenomenon depends on the initial porosity of the preform and the amount of cold work resulting in the destruction of bonds and violation of continuity between sintered powder particles. The second phenomenon is the deformation of the metal matrix, which reduces the plasticity of the sintered product. To correctly assess the effect of changes occurring in the matrix as a result of deformation, it is necessary to use the properly defined sintered matrix hardening parameter discussed in this study. The adverse effects of cold forming can be eliminated by annealing the deformed sinters at a temperature below the sintering point and above the recrystallization temperature. The annealing temperature causes favorable changes in the structure and increases the impact resistance of the deformed sinters depending on the degree of deformation of the sintered matrix and the initial porosity of the preform. Annealing at a properly selected temperature restores the ductility of the metal matrix and improves the integrity of the sintered material impaired by the effect of deformation. Annealing also causes favorable changes in the porosity morphology, removing defects in the form of gaps and resulting in the spheroidization of voids. With an appropriately selected initial porosity and degree of deformation, subsequent annealing of sinters compacted by free cold upsetting provides products with strength properties comparable to sinters with the same density and subjected to single compaction and sintering but with considerably higher fracture toughness.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of Combined Torsion and Tension on the Microstructure and Fracture Behavior of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel

In this study, the microstructure evolution and fracture behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel (ASS) deformed by torsion–tension at room temperature was systematically investigated. During combined tension and torsion, the grain size was refined with increasing shear strain. In addition, the microtexture exhibited a preferred orientation with increasing shear stress. The metastable austenite underwent phase transition when the shear stress increased. The shear stress affected the fracture morphology, and dimples with different sizes and depths were observed for different pre-torsions. The dislocation density increased significantly owing to severe shear deformation. In addition, the dislocation structure evolved and subgrains appeared with the accumulation of shear strain during this combined deformation. The result showed that pre-torsion deformation plays an important role in improving the comprehensive performance and controlling the microstructure evolution of the sample subjected to tension deformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Comparative Study of the Geometric Effects on Fracture Behaviors of Side-Grooved and Plain-Sided Compact Tension Specimens

This paper investigates the fracture response and crack-tip constraint of two typical compact tension specimens. They are pre-cracked plain-sided and side-grooved specimens. In order to clarify the significant effects of geometric parameters on the crack-tip stress fields, an extensive series of detailed 3D elastic–plastic finite element analyses have been carried out. Taking the standard ratio of geometric parameters as a basis, several non-standard geometric parameters are adopted in the calculation for comparison, including specimen thickness, width, crack length. Accordingly, the variation of local J-integral and crack-tip opening displacement have been vigorously investigated over the crack front. Most importantly, the crack-tip stress fields are analyzed in detail with the emphasis on the stress triaxiality and opening mode stress. Furthermore, the crack-tip plastic strain and deformation are compared under small-scale yielding and large-scale yielding between plain-sided and side-grooved specimens, and the constraint parameter Q is employed to explain the distribution of the near-tip plastic strain. Through the vigorous research work, the variation of fracture behavior caused by geometric parameters is reasonably explained and understood.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The impact of core-shell nanotube structures on fracture in ceramic nanocomposites

Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can be used to create ceramic nanocomposites with improved fracture toughness. In the present work, atomic layer deposition (ALD) was employed to deposit thin oxide layers on MWCNTs. These core-shell structures were then used to create nanocomposites by using a polymer derived ceramic (PDC) to produce the matrix. Variations in both the initial MWCNT structure and the oxide layers led to substantial differences in fiber-pullout behavior. Single tube pullout tests also showed that the oxide coatings led to stronger bonding with the ceramic matrix. With high defect density MWCNTs, this led to shorter pull-out lengths which is consistent with the conventional understanding of fracture in ceramic matrix composites. However, with low defect density MWCNTs longer pullout lengths were observed with the oxide layers. To interpret the different trends that were observed, we believe that the ALD coatings should not be viewed simply as a means of altering the interfacial properties. Instead, the coated MWCNTs should be viewed as more complex core-shell fibers where both interface and internal properties can be controlled with the ALD layers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Deformation mechanisms and ductile fracture characteristics of a friction stir processed transformative high entropy alloy

Deformation mechanisms of a friction stir processed Fe 40 Mn 20 Co 20 Cr 15 Si 5 transformative high entropy alloy using three different process parameters were studied to explain the microstructural dependence of tensile response in these specimens. The relative strain hardening contribution due to transformation and twinning effects was different for the three different microstructural conditions and thus resulted in different magnitude of work hardening. Crystal plasticity simulations confirmed that synergistic activity of face centered cubic and hexagonal close packed slip and twin mechanisms resulted in sustained work hardening and enhanced uniform elongation. The non-uniform ductility and extent of void nucleation and growth in these specimens were limited. Nevertheless, fractography and X-ray microscopy of fractured tensile specimens verified that microstructural flexibility induced different propensities for void growth and ductile fracture mode. Thus, alloy design induced phase stability, adaptive phase evolution due to friction stir processing, extent and kinetics of martensitic transformation and related work hardening capability of the individual phases combined together to determine the overall tensile response. The crystallographic orientation dependence of deformation induced phase transformation was also thoroughly studied. Finally, this study included quantitative determination of the crystallographic orientation where resolved shear stress on leading and trailing partial dislocations favored separation of the partials to cause transformation at a critical value of applied stress.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Investigation of dynamic fracture behavior of additively manufactured Al-10Si-Mg using high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging

The dynamic tensile properties of additively manufactured (AM) and cast Al-10Si-Mg alloy were disccused using high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging coupled with a modified Kolsky bar apparatus. A controlled tensile loading (strain rate ≈ 750 s -1 ) was applied using the Kolsky bar apparatus and the deformation and fracture behavior were recorded using the high-speed X-ray imaging setup. The CT and high-speed imaging results worked together to identify the location of the critical flaw and to capture the dynamics of crack propagation. In all experiments, the critical flaw was located on the surface of each specimen. The AM specimens displayed significantly higher crack propagation speed, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, strain hardening coefficient, and yet lower ductility compared to the cast specimens under dynamic tension. Although the strength values were higher for the AM specimens, the critical mode I stress intensity factors were comparable for both specimens. The microstructures of the samples were characterized by synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microcopy. The correlation between the dynamic fracture behavior of the samples and the microstructure of the samples is analyzed and discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A smoothed particle hydrodynamics model for droplet and film flow on smooth and rough fracture surfaces

Flow on fracture surfaces has been identified by many authors as an important flow process in unsaturated fractured rock formations. Given the complexity of flow dynamics on such small scales, robust numerical methods have to be employed in order to capture the highly dynamic interfaces and flow intermittency. In this work we present microscale free-surface flow simulations using a three-dimensional multiphase Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) code. Pairwise solid-fluid and fluid-fluid interaction forces are used to control the wetting behavior and cover a wide range of static and transient contact angles as well as Reynolds numbers encountered in droplet flow on rock surfaces. We validate our model via comparison with existing empirical and semi-analyical solutions for droplet flow. We use the model to investigate the occurence of adsorbed trailing films of droplets under various flow conditions and its importance for the flow dynamics when films and droplets coexist. We show that flow velocities are higher on prewetted surfaces covered by a thin film which is qualitatively attributed to the enhanced dynamic wetting and dewetting at the trailing and advancing contact line.

unsaturated flow, fractured rocks, smoothed partic↗

Variable resolution Poisson-disk sampling for meshing discrete fracture networks

Here, we present the near-Maximal Algorithm for Poisson-disk Sampling (nMAPS) to generate point distributions for variable resolution Delaunay triangular and tetrahedral meshes in two and three-dimensions, respectively. nMAPS consists of two principal stages. In the first stage, an initial point distribution is produced using a cell-based rejection algorithm. In the second stage, holes in the sample are detected using an efficient background grid and filled in to obtain a near-maximal covering. Extensive testing shows that nMAPS generates a variable resolution mesh in linear run time with the number of accepted points. We demonstrate nMAPS capabilities by meshing three-dimensional discrete fracture networks (DFN) and the surrounding volume. The discretized boundaries of the fractures, which are represented as planar polygons, are used as the seed of 2D-nMAPS to produce a conforming Delaunay triangulation. The combined mesh of the DFN is used as the seed for 3D-nMAPS, which produces conforming Delaunay tetrahedra surrounding the network. Under a set of conditions that naturally arise in maximal Poisson-disk samples and are satisfied by nMAPS, the two-dimensional Delaunay triangulations are guaranteed to only have well-behaved triangular faces. While nMAPS does not provide triangulation quality bounds in more than two dimensions, we found that low-quality tetrahedra in 3D are infrequent, can be readily detected and removed, and a high-quality balanced mesh is produced.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Dynamic aspects of graphene deformation and fracture from approximate density functional theory

Graphene is one of the most intriguing two-dimensional carbon materials. Its mechanical strength and failure are key concerns for materials engineering and applications. Despite the success of fracture mechanics, the mechanism of how pristine materials fail remains an elusive problem. While many theoretical studies based on molecular dynamics using empirical forcefields have tried to address this question, atomic-scale mechanics are not clearly understood. Especially, a widely employed bond-breaking approach based on the critical bond length has not been rigorously tested. Here, utilizing molecular dynamics simulations with density functional based tight binding, we investigate how the failure of the pristine material initiates. The Wiberg bond order (W BO ) to estimate the change of chemical bonds shows a transition from sp 2 (W BO ~ 1.33) to sp 3 (WBO < 1.0) during the deformation. However, it reveals that a single threshold value for either the WBO or bond length is insufficient to decide failure of pristine material without free edges or defects. Instead, collective behaviors of the local atomic group govern the fracture initiation of pristine graphene. Overall, our study provides dynamic mechanical responses based on quantum mechanics, which have not been captured by empirical forcefields, opening opportunities to design properties by precisely coupling the mechanics and quantum mechanics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗