Papers by Author: Ru Lin Peng

Abstract: Inconel 718 is a nickel based superalloy that is widely used as a turbine disc material in gas turbine industries. This study details the effect of thermal exposure on the residual stresses produced when broaching Inconel 718. The chosen parameters for broaching in this study are similar to those used when manufacturing turbine discs. The broaching operation produced a high level of tensile residual stresses at the broached surface. A layer with tensile residual stresses was formed in the sub-surface region, followed by a layer several times thicker with compressive residual stresses. Thermal exposure was conducted at 550 °C. The depth distributions of residual stresses after thermal exposure are presented and discussed in this paper. Complete relaxation of the surface tensile residual stresses was observed after 30 h thermal exposure, whereas the 3000 h thermal exposure influenced both the surface and sub-surface residual stress states.

Abstract: Fatigue crack propagation behaviors in a duplex stainless steel have been studied using an in-situ SEM/EBSD fatigue test and a conventional da/dN test. Crack propagation behaviors in grain, effect of Schmid factor, propagation cross the grain or phase boundaries have been discussed. Crack propagation occurs mainly in the grains with a high Schmid factor, but the crack can also propagate in the grains with very small Schmid factor. Crack deflection occurs mainly at the phase boundaries, but crack branching occurs mainly in the grains due to the dislocation slip. In-situ SEM/EBSD fatigue test confirms that crack propagation deflection can lead to a decrease in crack propagation rate. Formation of crack branches can significantly reduce the crack propagation rate, which can cause crack growth retardation in the main crack path in the worst case. The crack branches formed are usually not ideal. They can propagate almost transversely to the main crack direction with a mode II stress intensity factor, SIF, and a rate that is much higher than that of the main crack.

Abstract: The widespread use of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) in gas turbines stresses the importance of accurate life prediction models for TBCs. During service, the TBC may fail due to thermal fatigue or through the formation of thermally grown oxides (TGOs). The current paper presents a Thermo-Calc/Dictra-based approach to life prediction of isothermally oxidised atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) TBCs. The β-phase depletion of the coating was predicted and compared to life prediction criteria based on TGO thickness and Al content in the coating. All tried life models underestimated the life of the coating where the β-depletion-based model was the most conservative.

Abstract: Machining induced residual stresses were investigated in Inconel 718 prepared by high speed turning under dry cut condition. The influence of cutting tool wear and the use of cutting fluid were studied. By x-ray diffraction measurements, characteristic residual stress distributions with tensile stresses in the top layer and compressive stresses in the layer below were found in all the investigated samples. The magnitude of surface tensile stresses and size of the tension as well as compression zones varied depending on the cutting condition. The application of cutting fluid for turning using new tool has a minor effect, giving a somewhat larger subsurface compressive zone but reducing the surface tensile stresses. Tool flank wear has shown a much stronger effect. While a flank wear of VBmax=0.15 mm enhanced mostly the surface tensile residual stresses, a severer wear of VBmax=0.3 mm greatly increased the thickness of the subsurface compression zone and at the same time resulted in strong stress anisotropy. Microstructural study by electron channelling contrast imaging shows that the observed influence of tool flank wear or cutting fluid on residual stresses are related to different contributions from increased plastic deformation and cutting heat, which changed with the cutting conditions.

Abstract: Test samples of grey and compacted graphite cast irons with pearlitic matrix were shot-peened to different surface conditions using twelve different combinations of shot size, peening intensity and peening coverage percentage. Relatively high surface compressive residual stresses varying between 245 to 565 MPa were observed and the compressive residual stresses reached a depth between 280 µm and 770 µm. Within the range of peening parameters used, the compacted graphite cast iron with its vermicular graphite showed a somewhat better response to the same shot-peening treatment than the grey cast iron containing flake graphite, giving a larger peening affected zone with higher compressive residual stresses. For both the cast irons, an increase in peening coverage percentage, shot size or peening intensity led often to a lower surface compressive stress. However, peening using a higher intensity greatly increased the degree and extent of plastic deformation and therefore increased the magnitude and penetration depth of the subsurface compressive residual stresses, while the effect of increasing shot size also depends on the peening intensity. On the other hand, measurements on the grey cast iron samples showed that the peening coverage has little effect on the depth profile of residual stress.

Abstract: The different shot peening responds of a grey cast iron (GI) with its flake graphite and a compacted cast iron (CGI) with its vermicular graphite was analyzed and compared in this paper. For peening using identical parameters, CGI showed a larger plastic deformation zone with higher subsurface compressive stresses than GI. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping and backscatter electron imaging revealed that plastic deformation of the matrix near graphite inclusions is affected by the size and geometry of the graphite. The different behaviors of graphite are explained by their capability to damp mechanical force but at the same time to cause stress concentration in the matrix. The better shot peening results for CGI may be attributed to a lower damping effect of its graphite inclusions and capability of the matrix for larger plastic deformation.

Abstract: High-cycle-fatigue (HCF) fracture mechanism of nickel-based superalloy IN 792 coated with Pt-modified aluminide outward-diffusion coating is studied with focus on the influence of coating cracks. It is found that cracking of the diffusion coating prior to HCF tests has little influence on the fatigue limit of specimens with thin coating (50 μm) but lowers the fatigue limit of specimens with thick coating (70 μm). By fractographic analysis, three types of fractural modes are established according to their crack initiations: internal, external and mixed. While external fractural mode is related to the propagation of existing cracks in the coating, internal facture initiates often at Ti-Ta-W-rich carbides and/or topological-close-packed (TCP) phases and grainboundaries in the superalloy. Increasing the thickness of diffusion coating or the amplitude stress promotes the fractural mode transition from internal/mixed to external. The influence of precracking of coatings on the HCF fracture mechanism can be qualitatively explained by its influence on the stress intensity factor.

Abstract: The deformation behaviour of four super duplex stainless steels of the grade SAF 2507 (UNS S32750) were studied by X-ray diffraction experiment with in-situ uniaxial tensile load. The steels had different nitrogen contents, between 0.2 and 0.33%, and/or different volume fractions of the ferrite, between 37% and 49%, in balance with austenite. The development of phase-specific stresses under external loading up to over 10% tensile strain was followed. The X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that load partitioning between the phases changed with increasing applied load, as the ferrite and austenite exhibited different deformation hardening behaviours. At the onset of macroscopic yielding and low plastic strains, a load transfer from γ to α occurred due to higher yield strength and strain hardening rate of the ferrite but vice versa at larger plastic strains when the austenite hardened more rapidly than the ferrite. It was also concluded that both the yield and tensile strengthen of the steels increased with increasing nitrogen content due to increased strengthen of the austenite by additional solid solution hardening, whereas a higher volume fraction of austenite contributed to higher tensile strength.

Abstract: In-situ neutron diffraction experiments under tensile loading were carried out to study the micromechanical behaviour of two iron-manganese based steels, a TWIP (twinning induced plasticity) steel with 30 wt% Mn and a TRIP steel (transformation induced plasticity) with 20 wt% Mn. The former was loaded to 31.3% strain and the latter to 20% strain. The 30 wt.% Mn steel had a fully austenitic microstructure which remained stable over the loading range studied, while stress induced austenite to α´- and ε-martensite transformations occur in the 20 wt.% Mn steel which initially contained an α´-martensite in addition to the austenite. The evolution of lattice strains under tensile loading differs between the two steels, reflected their different plastic deformation mechanisms. A stronger grain-orientation dependent behaviour is observed during deformation for the 20 wt.% Mn in contrast to the 30wt.% Mn steel.

Abstract: Residuals stresses can be present in almost every industrial component. Manufacturing processes such as casting, welding, and heat treatment are the most common causes of residual stresses. Thermal residual stresses could be developed in a component during heat treatment process as a result of non-uniform heating or cooling operations. In this study, experiments were carried out to develop insights into and understanding of the residual stresses that can arise during thermal treatments of Al-Si components. Due to the complexity of residual stresses analysis in real components, a common mixed-section casting was employed. In order to fulfill the requirements of performing different thermal treatments, a special cooling apparatus was designed and built. A number of the casting components of an Al-Si alloy were annealed for stress relief, and then removed from the furnace and cooled with different water flow rates. Then, the amount of accumulated residual stresses in the components was measured relaxation of stress using cutting. Thermal analysis and residual stress measurement for different thermal treatment regimes showed that by choosing a specific holding temperature before direct cooling, the value of residual stress increases linearly with flow rate of cooling. On the other hand, for a constant value of cooling water flow, ∆T_max and residual stress level decreases when the value of base temperature of furnace decreases. Moreover, the cutting method can be a suitable method for measuring thermal residual stresses in Al-Si components and thermal analysis is a powerful technique to predict residual stresses.