Papers by Author: Michael E. Fitzpatrick

Abstract: Fatigue cracks mostly initiate at areas subjected to high tensile residual stress and stress concentration. Ultrasonic peening is a mechanical method to increase fatigue life by imparting compressive residual stress. In this study residual stresses are characterized in fillet welded ship structural steel plates with longitudinal attachments. As-welded, ultrasonically peened, and specimens peened then subjected to accelerated corrosion testing were measured. Residual stress characterization was performed by the contour method and neutron diffraction.

Abstract: In this work we evaluate the application of the contour method to fatigue and fracture surfaces. Residual stress measurements were made on quenched and aged AA2124-SiC_p composite using neutron diffraction, the contour method with wire EDM, and the contour method on a fatigue crack surface including brittle failure. The contour method successfully measured residual stresses from a wire electro-discharge cut surface, but the fracture method results suggest that residual stress information is lost due to plasticity during fatigue crack growth.

Abstract: Residual stress measurements are very challenging in thin aluminium plates. Rolling-induced crystallographic texture can lead to an S-shape fit when using the sin²ψ method for surface X-ray diffraction. Peak broadening and missing peaks can also be observed for synchrotron X-ray diffraction with conventional θ/2θ scanning due to texture. In addition, when measuring near the plate surfaces, partially-filled gauge volumes in diffraction experiments will lead to “pseudo-strains”, an apparent shift between measured and actual positions for the diffraction peak. Obtaining a meaningful value of d0 for strain calculations is another issue for diffraction experiments in thin plates. The low thickness also offers challenges for destructive methods including incremental hole drilling, i.e. there is no defined ASTM standard for measuring non-uniform residual stress profile for thin plates. In this work, 2-mm-thick Al2024-T351 plate was investigated for residual stress fields due to laser peening. Neutron diffraction measurements were carried out at POLDI (Pulse Overlap time-of-flight Diffractometer) in PSI, Switzerland and the results are compared with incremental hole drilling.

Abstract: The aim of the present work is to study effects occurring during elatoplastic deformation and unloading of Al/SiCp metal–matrix composite material. We have measured lattice strains for both phases independently using two separated diffraction peaks (the 111 reflections of Al and SiC) during in situ tensile testing. Lattice strains were measured in the direction parallel to the applied load. The results were compared with an elastoplastic model in order to find parameters determining the plastic deformation of Al matrix (critical resolved shear stress and hardening parameter). We have found that during initial deformation relaxation of the thermal stresses occurs in both phases. Afterwards, the distribution of strains measured during the in situ test and unloading of the sample agree very well with self-consistent model prediction.

Abstract: Residual stresses play a fundamental role in mechanical engineering. They can be generated by manufacturing processes or introduced purposely by surface treatment technologies. One of the most recent technologies developed to introduce residual stresses is Laser Shock Peening. Since it is a relatively expensive technology, a fundamental role is played by the Finite Element Analysis approach to predict the final residual stress profile. The FEA approach consists of either direct simulation of the LSP process or the application of the eigenstrain approach. The application of the eigenstrain theory in predicting residual stresses after LSP treatment in curved edges is the subject of this research.

Abstract: Laser shock peening offers potential advantages over conventional peen technologies in terms of the depth of the residual stresses that can be induced, and improvements in surface roughness. In this study the application of laser peening to thin aluminium plates such as are used in aerospace applications is investigated. Peening of thin plates presents challenges in balancing the peen intensity to prevent overpeening that will actually lower the stress field. Strain profiles for different laser peening parameters were obtained using synchrotron X-ray diffraction at the ESRF, France. Results are presented and discussed of the residual strain profiles in terms of the laser power density and the number of peen passes. When the power density and number of passes are increased the compressive strain magnitudes are also increased, as has been observed in previous studies. However, the strain components longitudinal and transverse to the peen line are not identical to each other, with the transverse component being much less compressive.

Abstract: Residual strains in plasma sprayed and heat-treated hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings deposited on a titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) substrate were investigated by means of neutron diffraction. Strain measurements were performed in vertical scan (“z-scanning”) mode to provide a through thickness strain profile in the coating and substrate materials. Results are discussed in terms of the influence of heat-treatment on the residual strain profile of these biomedical coatings. This investigation concluded that the heat-treatment had a significant effect on the residual strain profile in HA coatings.

Abstract: The residual strain field around the scratches of 125µm depth and 5µm root radius have been measured from the Synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Scratches were produced using different tools in fine-grained aluminium alloy AA 5091. Residual stresses up to +1700 micro-strains were measured at the scratch tip for one tool but remained up to only +1000 micro-strains for the other tool scratch. The load-displacement curves obtained from nanoindentation were used to determine the residual stresses around the scratches. It was found that the load-displacement curves are sensitive to any local residual stress field present and behave according to the type of residual stresses. This combination of nanoindentation and synchrotron X-rays has been proved highly effective for the study of small-scale residual stresses around the features such as scratches.

Abstract: Neutron diffraction has been used to investigate the weld residual stresses and the intergranular residual strains in butt-welded 316H pipes. Measurements have been made on pipes subjected to varying degrees of plastic pre-straining before welding, in order to assess the effects of plastic strain on the weld residual stresses and the intergranular strains in the material. The intergranular strains following plastic deformation will also be affected by the annealing effect of the welding. Pipes were initially prepared with plastic strain of 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25% plastic deformation. Thereafter, the pipes were cut in half and welded with a circumferential butt-weld. Bar specimens were extracted from the remote end of the 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25% pre-strained and welded pipes. Cross-weld bar specimens were also machined from the 0 and 20% pre-strained and welded pipes. Neutron diffraction measurements were made at ENGIN-X, ISIS and FRM-II, Munich. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the intergranular strains developed after pre-straining from measurements made in remote bar specimens from the remote-end of the pipes. The annealing effect of the welding cycle on the intergranular strains is also studied, with measurements done at several points on cross-weld bar specimens, obtaining the strain response of different hkl lattice planes. The results show that the {200} and {220} planes are at the extremes of response during loading. Furthermore, the welding thermal cycling relaxed the intergranular strains from the prior plastic deformation.

Abstract: The safe operation of both thermal and nuclear power plant is increasingly dependent upon structural integrity assessment of pressure vessels and piping. Furthermore, structural failures most commonly occur at welds so the accurate design and remnant life assessment of welded plant is critical. The residual stress distribution assumed in defect assessments often has a deciding influence on the analysis outcome, and in the absence of accurate and reliable knowledge of the weld residual stresses, the design codes and procedures use assumptions that yield very conservative assessments that can severely limit the economic life of some plant. However, recent advances in both the modeling and measurement of residual stresses in welded structures and components open up the possibility of characterising weld residual stresses in operating plant using state-of–the–art fully validated Finite Element simulations. This paper describes research undertaken to predict residual stresses in stainless steel welds in order to provide validated reliable, accurate Structural Integrity assessment of nuclear power plant components