Materials Science Forum Vols. 783-786

Abstract: In very high cycle fatigue, VHCF, regime, fatigue crack initiation can occur at subsurface defects such as inclusion or subsurface non-defect (matrix) origin. This paper provides a study on the fatigue crack initiation mechanisms at subsurface non-defect (matrix) origin in two metallic materials using electron backscatter diffraction and electron channeling contrast imaging. The results show that the strains in the material in the VHCF regime were highly localized, where the local maximum strain is greatly higher than the average strain value. This high strain localization can lead to the formation of fine grain zone and also fatigue damage or fatigue crack initiation at grain boundaries or twin boundaries by impingement cracking. High strain localization is caused by strain accumulation of each very small loading, and also increases the local hardness of the material. This may start quasi-cleavage crack origin, and consequently the formation of subsurface fatigue crack initiations. The results also show that fatigue damage and crack initiation mechanisms in the VHCF regime can be different in different metals due to the mechanisms for local plasticity exhaustion.

Abstract: The indentation test is one of the most common techniques for the mechanical characterization of materials. Different tests have been standardized, depending on punch geometry and indentation parameters, and different models have also been set up to predict indentation hardness and to estimate uni-axial mechanical properties for all the geometries (cone, wedge, pyramid, sphere, etc.). A flat-ended cylindrical indentation technique (FIMEC) has been developed by one of the present authors. FIMEC employs a cylindrical punch with diameter ranging from 3.0 to 0.5 mm and gives pressure-penetration curves from which yield stress and elasticity modulus can be determined. The specific characteristics of FIMEC are: 1-the high simplicity of the apparatus; 2-the possibility to get information about the local material properties on a scale large enough to include many grains (data represent bulk characteristics and are not influenced by those factors which dramatically affect micro-and nanoindentation tests); 3-the large versatility in industrial applications such as the control of welding quality, 4-the on-line monitoring of forging or extrusion processes etc.. This paper describes a new algorithm developed to calculate the yield stress from FIMEC curves. To assess the reliability of the method, it has been tested on several metals of known characteristics and the scattering of data with respect those from tensile tests resulted to be within ±7%.

Abstract: This paper aims at a deeper understanding of mechanisms leading to crack initiation in ductile metals in Very High Cycle Fatigue (VHCF). The VHCF regime is associated with stress amplitudes lower than the conventional fatigue limit and numbers of cycles higher than 10⁹. Tests were conducted using an ultrasonic technique at loading frequency of 20 kHz. The mechanisms leading to crack initiation express via slip bands at the specimen surface and self-heating due to intrinsic dissipation. Thermal maps were used to estimate the mean dissipation and its change with number of cycles and stress amplitudes in case of pure copper polycrystals. At the same time, the surface relief changes due to plasticity were characterized using optical and scanning electronic microscopes. A good correlation was found between slip band initiation and dissipation. Dissipation and slip band amount always increased over the number of cycles. At very small stress amplitudes, no slip band appeared up to 10⁸ cycles but the material was found to dissipate energy. Results derived from tests performed at high loading frequency on pure cupper specimens showed a drift of dissipative regimes incompatible with concepts of fatigue limit and/or asymptotic cyclic stability. These results reveal that the material never reached a steady state. Therefore it could break at higher number of cycles.

Abstract: Additive Manufacturing (AM), also designated as 3D Printing (3DP), is one of the most visionary and friendly approaches for flexible manufacturing with conservation of energy and material resources. It is a factory in a box that can generate multiple objects. It requires little manpower to bring virtual innovations into the real world. AM for metals can be mechanistically associated with welding. The technique employs a variety of energy sources (laser, electron beam, electric Arc, ...), feed stocks (powder, wire and ribbon) and motion kinematics & control (articulated robot and 3-5 axes CNC machine ). From the materials perspectives, akin to fusion welding in many respects, AM involves a multitude of complex and interacting physical phenomena such as heat transfer, fluid flow, discrete and continuum mechanics, sintering, melting, solidification, solid state transformations, grain growth, diffusion, textures etc. The desired process performance can be achieved by controlling the parameters of energy, feed stock and motion. The effect of successive thermal cycles along with the epitaxial relations between substratum and deposits constitute some of the challenging tasks for developing optimized parts. This paper reviews the state of the art and presents some challenges facing metal product development for service applications.

Abstract: Three examples involving size effects are presented with implications concerning the formability: small Ni-20wt.%Cr resistive bridges, magnetic micro-sensors performed with (Ni, Co, Fe) based alloys and copper clad aluminum thin wires. The mechanical properties are directly linked to the ratio thickness over grain size (t/d ratio) of the parts. These metallurgical considerations must be taken into account when we are concerned by the numerical simulation of the process of such components. It is shown that the simulations can correctly reproduce the softening effect linked to a decrease in thickness and in number of grains across the thickness: the quality of the final shape strongly depends on the number of grains across the thickness. Finally the effect of a moderate increase in temperature on these results will be briefly reported.

Abstract: Aim of a structural health monitoring system must be to collect sufficient information about the damage for appropriate remedial measures to be taken to ensure safety. The preliminary step in the process of damage assessment is locating the damage .One of the challenges faced by the structural health monitoring system is monitoring in-flight damages. Localization of in-flight damages or sudden impacts can be achieved by monitoring the acoustic emissions in real time mode. In this paper, an approach based on the employment of Piezo-electric transducer rosettes to locate the acoustic emission source in an aluminum plate is presented. Using the strain gage rosette concepts adapted for piezoelectric transducers, the wave strain principal angles are determined. When two rosettes are used, the intersection of the principal wave strain directions detected by the rosettes gives the wave source location. The method does not require the knowledge of wave velocity in the medium in contrast to the time of flight based location. Hence, this technique can be used in anisotropic or complex structures where the source localization using the conventional time of flight method is difficult. The principal strain angle using the voltage response of the transducers and the rosette principles are obtained and the co-ordinates of the wave source location are calculated using the co-ordinates of the centroids of the rosettes in MATLAB.According to the tests, the rosette piezo-transducer outperforms the single piezo elements to a degree justifying its complexity. The rosette piezo transducer provides more damage related information compared to single elements and hence the performance of the damage detection system can be significantly improved if rosettes are used.

Abstract: In this study, concept of green geosynthetics was introduced in terms of biodegradability. Development of green geosynthetics, its background and technical concerns were discussed through some research results of PLA(polylactic acid) specimens. Test method for biodegradability of PLA(polylactic acid) as a green geosynthetics were considered and suggested based on composting method. Finally, the rest result shows that the concept of biodegradability for green geosynthetics is available in the environmental application. PLA 4032D/PBAT(80/20) blend shows improvement of environmental performance as a green geosynthetics application than PLA 4032D only used.

Abstract: Weight reduction is the main driving force in automotive and aircraft structural design. As a result, magnesium alloys, with their high potential for lightweight construction, have attracted a considerable amount of industrial attention. The determining criterion for the structural applications of magnesium alloys is the availability of efficient joining technologies for the construction of lightweight structures and the availability of reliable data for the assessment of their damage tolerance behaviour. Laser beam welding (LBW), as a high-speed and easily controllable process, allows the welding of complex geometric forms that are optimised in terms of mechanical stiffness, strength, production velocity and visual quality. The work accomplished in this study addresses the challenges of the LBW process for typical joint configurations using the magnesium alloy AZ31HP: butt joints, T joints and overlap joints. LBW processes were developed for use with a 3.3-kW Nd:YAG laser to optimise the mechanical performance of such joints with respect to tensile strength, fatigue, fatigue crack propagation and mechanical fracture behaviour. The relationships between the LBW process and the microstructural and mechanical properties of welds were established. Compared to state-of-the-art aerospace alloys, AZ31HP demonstrates that magnesium alloys have potential for use in structural applications, with AZ31HP being comparable to AA2024T351 and AA6061T6. Welded AZ31HP exhibits better crack resistance than the base material, so fully welded integral structures made from magnesium alloys can be used in lightweight construction.

Abstract: Indirect laser peening applied to the substrate of austenitic stainless steel with the sheet of similar material. Effects of indirect laser peening condition on the formation of the dimple and the residual stress were investigated in this paper. Shape of the dimple and distribution of the residual stress were measured by laser microscope and X-ray diffraction, respectively. It was observed by the microscope that clean substrate surface of as-received state kept after indirect laser peening because of protection by the sheet. However, fracture of sheet occurred slightly in high pulse energy condition. The diameter and the depth of the dimple by indirect laser peening increased with the increase of laser power. Efficiency of dimple formation decreased with the increase of pulse energy. Affective condition region of indirect laser peening with a combination between the substrate and the sheet of austenitic stainless steel may be limited below the laser power density of 10GW/cm². It was confirmed that indirect laser peening induced compressive residual stress in the substrate. One of peak of compressive residual stress in residual stress distribution existed near the bottom of the dimple. Residual stress distribution which was produced by indirect laser peening may affect change of quasi bending modulus which was obtained by three-point bending test.

Abstract: The plastic part of crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) is derived from the plastic hinge model for deep-notched single edge-notch bend (SE(B)) specimens in BS, WES and ISO CTOD testing standards, and a typical plastic rotational factor is given by a constant value of 0.4. This value is appropriate for deep-notched SE(B) specimens, but is not suitable for shallow-notched SE(B) specimens. In this study, a new equation of calculating the plastic rotational factor was obtained by using the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) scheme. The equation shows the effect of crack length and strain hardening on the plastic rotational factor, and is useful for evaluating CTOD in shallow-notched SE(B) specimens.