Papers by Keyword: Notch Effect

Abstract: Fatigue of materials is the degradation process that results from the cyclical dynamic loading of components in combination with other internal or external factors, e.g. corrosion, defects, etc. This paper mainly focuses on the analysis of the causes leading to the damage of a pin in a car trailer´s braking system. The damage of the pin was caused by a few, mutually independent, parameters. Several techniques such as macroscopy, microscopy (light, SEM) and dimension measurement were used for the damage analysis. The material and geometry of the pin were the main issues identified leading to the failure of the part in question.

Abstract: Retracted article: The effect of a galvanizing coating on the fatigue strength of S355 structural steel is analyzed in detail showing that the decrease of the fatigue life is very limited if compared with that of uncoated joints and the results are in good agreement with Eurocode detail category, without substantial reductions. The procedure for the preparation of the specimens is systematically described in this note providing a useful tool for engineers involved in similar practical applications. The results are compared with previous data from notched galvanized specimens weakened by a central hole and not treated specimens characterized by the same geometry.

Abstract: The work presents non-local line method by which the equivalent fatigue zones were designated. These zones are one-dimensional efficient lengths in which operating stress variables cause initiation of fatigue cracks. The algorithm of the presented method considers the issues of multi-axial stress state, critical plane and weighting function. Calculations of stresses in the test element were performed by using the FEM assuming cyclic material properties, which are described with the model for multi-linear hardening. The empirical lifetime of elements with a notch was assumed to define length of the crack amounting to 0.1 mm. As the result of calculations, the dependence of effective length on nominal stress and radius of the notch was determined.

Abstract: An experimental study was conducted to evaluate notch effects on fatigue behavior of a neat polymer (PP impact co-polymer) and a composite made of 30 wt% short glass fibers in polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). A plate-type specimen geometry with a central circular hole was used. The experiments were conducted at room temperature in uniaxial tension-tension (R = 0.1) and tension-compression (R = -1) loading conditions. Some analytical methods including Neubers rule and the method of critical distances were used in addition to FEA to predict fatigue life of notched specimens. Neubers rule commonly used for metallic materials proved to be an accurate method for predicting the notched fatigue life of the thermoplastics considered.

Abstract: In previous papers, the energy dissipated to the surroundings as heat in a unit volume of material per cycle, Q, has been successfully applied to correlate experimental data generated from push-pull, stress- or strain-controlled fatigue tests on AISI 304 L stainless steel plain and notched specimens. In this paper the fatigue behaviour of AISI 304 L un-notched bars under fully-reversed axial or torsional loading was investigated. By using the Q parameter it was found that the experimental data collapse into the same energy-based scatter band previously determined with the push-pull tests. The results found in the present contribution are meant to be specific for the material investigated.

Abstract: Component surfaces can be modified by micro-structuring processes like micro-milling or laser structuring for functionality reasons. This modification induces small notches, whose dimensions are in the same order as the grain size. This could have an influence on the mechanical properties. This paper presents the results of tension-compression fatigue tests with structured and – for comparison – with unstructured micro-tensile specimens of cp-titanium grade 2. Longitudinal metallographic microsections illustrate the grain size of the microstructure and the geometry of the notches. The results of the fatigue tests show the influence of the notches on lifetime and endurance limit. With a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) the fracture surfaces, the crack initiation sites, and the crack propagation areas of all samples were analyzed. With these analyses we want to determine which notch structure dimensions relative to the grain size are tolerable.

Abstract: In this paper, McEvily’s fatigue crack growth equation is modified and newly combined with the modified Goodman equation to estimate the fatigue strength with arbitrary mean stress, σ_m. Firstly, based on McEvily’s equation, the threshold stresses for fatigue crack initiation and propagation with stress ratio R = –1 or σ_m = 0 are predicted with reasonable accuracy. Then, a simple calculation is presented to predict the fatigue strength with arbitrary mean stress. The adequacy of present method is examined based on the comparison with the available experimental data in the literature.

Abstract: In this study, a series of experimental studies was conducted to investigate the fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at room temperature. Specifically, by inspecting the cylindrical specimens with a circumferential notch of different depths (20-200µm) and notch root radii (20-100µm), the notch effect was systematically investigated with tension-compression fatigue tests (R = –1). To quantify the effects of small notch, the -parameter model was adopted and its applicability for Ti-6Al-4V alloy was examined. Finally, the fatigue characteristics are discussed in conjunction with the behavior of small fatigue cracks at notches.

Abstract: The present paper reports on the fatigue response of a commercial high manganese steel that features the twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) effect in the high-cycle fatigue (HCF) regime. Specifically, attention was paid to the influence of the degree of pre-deformation and notches on the damage initiation and propagation in the TWIP steel studied. As monotonic pre-deformation significantly increases the fraction of twins and concomitant the strength of the steel, the fatigue properties and notch sensitivity are altered drastically. A thorough experimental approach including mechanical testing and microstructural characterization was employed to shed light on the microstructure-mechanical properties-relationships in order to deepen the understanding of the critical damage mechanisms. The current study clearly lays out that competing mechanisms effect the fatigue response of the TWIP steel, i.e. pre-deformation leads to strengthening but also induces damage. Since both effects evolve differently upon pre-deformation, fatigue performance can be optimized by appropriate amounts of pre-deformation.

Abstract: Geometrical discontinuities in the engineering components, such as holes, fillets, grooves, and keyways, are unavoidable in design. In essence, they act as a stress-raiser that causes the fatigue cracks. Accordingly, the geometrical discontinuities trigger a significant amount of reduction for the fatigue strength. It is well known that the fatigue limit of the notched components is governed by either the initiation or propagation of a small crack at the root of a notch. Since the elastoplastic behaviors and the crack closure effect should be properly taken into consideration, the behavior of such a small crack cannot be characterized solely by linear elastic fracture mechanics. To overcome the difficulty mentioned above, in this study, a novel method is proposed to investigate the notch effect by making use of the McEvily method, which has been widely used for the analysis of small fatigue crack growth. Further, to modify the McEvily method, the plastic zone size of a crack is calculated based on the Dugdale model to incorporate the effect of the plastic yielding near the crack tip. Finally, the predictive capability of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing our theoretical predictions with the available experimental data.