International

Journalof
International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868
Fatigue
www.elsevier.com/locate/ijfatigue

High-cycle fatigue of austempered ductile iron (ADI)

Mirco D. Chapetti
INTEMA (Institute for Materials Science and Technology), CONICET-University of Mar del Plata, J.B. Justo 4302,
(B7608FDQ) Mar del Plata, Argentina

Received 7 December 2005; received in revised form 16 August 2006; accepted 10 September 2006
Available online 27 October 2006

Abstract

A threshold curve method was applied to study the fatigue behavior and fatigue blunt-notch sensitivity of austempered ductile iron
(ADI) of grade 2 (ASTM 897M-90), a material with an excellent combination of high strength, ductility, toughness, fatigue strength, and
wear resistance. The mechanical properties of ADI can be achieved by proper austempering treatments in relation to a unique micro-
structure consisting of acicular, carbide-free ferrite with carbon-enriched austenite. A mechanistic fatigue crack growth methodology that
uses an integrated threshold curve for fatigue crack propagation was applied to analyze its fatigue limit and the inuence of blunt
notches. The existence and nature of non-propagating cracks and their inuence on the denition of the fatigue limit was also analyzed.
Results show that the fatigue limit in ADI is controlled by a crack arrest. Ausferrite packet boundaries act as barriers for microstruc-
turally-small cracks due to a requirement for stage I growth in the ausferrite matrix. The strength of the barrier depends on the relative
orientations of the microstructure at the boundary. The fatigue limit of the ADI analyzed is inuenced by the micronotch eect of the
graphite nodules. However, it is possible to estimate a true matrix fatigue limit for the ausferrite microstructure, and the experimen-
tally measured limit may be described as an ADI or component fatigue limit.
 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Fatigue limit; Fatigue notch sensitivity; Microstructurally-small cracks; Crack growth threshold; Austempered ductile iron

1. Introduction called ausferrite to distinguish it from the bainite struc-

Nowadays, austempered ductile irons (ADIs) are being
rapidly developed for an increasing number of engineering
applications [13]. Many mechanical parts of components
that require high reliability are produced in ADI: crank-
shafts, connecting rods, suspension arms, gears, etc. Their
excellent combination of high strength, ductility, tough-
ness, fatigue strength, and wear resistanceunavailable
in other grades of cast ironsconstitutes the main reason
for this recent interest. These desirable mechanical proper-
ties of ADI are comparable, or in some cases superior to
those of forged steel. A variety of combinations in the
mechanical properties of ADI can be achieved by proper
austempering treatments in relation to a unique micro-
structure consisting of acicular, carbide-free ferrite with
carbon-enriched austenite. This microstructure has been
E-mail address: mchapetti@.mdp.edu.ar.
ture in steels [4].
Although the high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of
ADI have been analyzed [59], those studies were mostly
focused on the microstructural factors by generating the
stress-life (SN) curves under various base-iron composi-
tions and heat treatment. Only a few ones published
recently focused on the mechanisms of damage, which have
proved that the endurance limit of a spheroidal cast iron is
not a limit of damage initiation but a limit of the non-prop-
agation of micro-cracks [10,11].
However, the inuence of graphite nodules and other
microstructural variables is not well known and further
studies about the microcrack initiation and early propaga-
tion need to be conducted to understand the fatigue behav-
ior of ADI. As the applications of ADI in engineering
components involve castings of various geometries sub-
jected to mechanical loads, and since many service fatigue
failures of castings originate at a geometric stress concen-

0142-1123/$ - see front matter  2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2006.09.005
 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868 861

Nomenclature

ADI austempered ductile iron DKC extrinsic component of DKth

a crack length DKCR extrinsic component of DKthR
C* and m environmentally sensitive material-constants DKdR microstructural threshold for microcrack
D notch depth propagation
d microstructural characteristic dimension, DKth fatigue crack propagation threshold
position from the surface of the strongest DKthR fatigue crack propagation threshold for long
microstructural barrier cracks
Dr locally applied stress range k material constant that takes into account the
DreR smooth fatigue limit development of DKC
Drn nominal applied stress range kt theoretical stress concentration factor
Drth stress threshold range for crack propagation R stress ratio (minimum stress/maximum stress)
DK applied stress intensity range q notch root radius

tration that is part of the casting design, it is important to
understand its fatigue behavior so as to develop a useful
assessment methodology for fatigue behavior predictions.
In this work, a mechanistic fatigue crack growth meth-
odology that uses an integrated threshold curve for fatigue
crack propagation was applied to analyze the fatigue limit
and the fatigue notch sensitivity of an austempered ductile
iron (ADI) of grade 2 (ASTM 897M-90). The existence and
nature of non-propagating cracks under the fatigue limit
and their inuence on the denition of the fatigue limit
for blunt notches was also analyzed.
1.1. The small crack eect and the fatigue crack growth
threshold
The eect of crack size on the fatigue crack propagation
threshold of many metals can be described conveniently by
means of the KitagawaTakahashi diagram, which relates
the threshold stress with the crack size, as shown in
Fig. 1. If the strongest microstructural barrier for fatigue
crack propagation is located at a given distance d from
the material surface, the crack is non-damaging with
respect to the fatigue limit up to a crack size a = d [12
15]. For a microstructurally-small crack (MSC, the crack
length is of the order of the microstructural dimensions)
initiated from a smooth surface, the fatigue limit at a given
stress ratio R, DreR, denes the critical nominal stress range
needed for continued crack growth (microstructural thresh-
old). If the applied stress range Dr is smaller than DreR,
cracks (included in the microstructurally-small crack
regime) are not initiated or are arrested at microstructural
barriers located at depths smaller than d.
On the other hand, for long or large cracks the threshold
stress for propagation decreases with increasing crack size
[1220]. The threshold for long cracks (LC, which have a
crack length greater than that at which crack closure is
fully developed) is dened in terms of the threshold value
of the stress intensity factor range, DKthR, thus long cracks
in constant amplitude loading can only grow by fatigue, if
the applied stress intensity factor range DK is greater than
DKthR.
In the physically small crack regime (PSC), which corre-
sponds to the transition between the microstructurally-
small and long crack regimes (MSC and LC), the threshold
is below DreR and DKthR. Although in this regime the inu-
ence of microstructure is still important, it is the develop-
ment of crack closure, what governs the threshold level.

eR
Log. Threshold Stress, th

Crack propagation
Threshold, Kth

Physically
Microstructurally Small Cracks
Small Cracks
Extrinsic
Crack Initiation

Long Crack Regime

Component
KCR
Small Crack Regime KC KthR

KdR KthR
Microstructural Threshold KdR
d1 d2 d L0 l
Log. Crack Length, a d Crack Length, a

Fig. 1. KitagawaTakahashi-type diagram showing the threshold between Fig. 2. Fatigue crack propagation threshold as a function of crack length,
propagating and non-propagating cracks. dened by expression (1).
862 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868
Dierent models have been proposed to estimate the var-
iation of the propagation threshold as a function of crack
length, while the crack is a small one, tending to a constant
value for long cracks [14,16,17,21]. In a previous work [22]
an expression to estimate the threshold to fatigue crack
propagation as a function of crack length was obtained by
Chapetti using only the smooth fatigue limit, DreR, the
threshold for long crack, DKthR, and the microstructural
characteristic dimension d (e.g. grain size). Below there is a
brief description of the model, which was used in this work.
As mentioned before, small cracks grow to the rst
microstructural barrier (e.g. grain boundary), and it is their
arrest what denes the fatigue limit. This is a material-based
limit (depending on the microstructural characteristic
dimension, d). The model proposed in reference [22] is based
on this concept and it estimates the material threshold for
crack propagation from a depth given by the position d of
the strongest microstructural barrier, as follows (see Fig. 2):
DK th DK dR DK thR  DK dR b1  ekad c a P d: 1
For a crack length a = d, DKth = DKdR, and DKth tends to
DKthR for long cracks. In terms of threshold stress, we get:
DK dR DK thR  DK dR 1  e kad
 aspect ratio as a function of crack length has to be dened
Drth p a P d; 2 for the combination of component geometry and loading
Y pa
where DKthR and DreR (and so DKdR), are all functions of
the stress ratio R. The microstructural threshold for crack
propagation, DKdR, is dened by the smooth fatigue limit
DreR and the position d of the strongest microstructural
barrier, as follows [22]:
p
DK dR Y DreR pd ; 3 stress intensity factor, DK (crack driving force). Besides,
where Y is the geometrical correction factor. In most cases,
the initiated microstructurally-small cracks can be consid-
ered semicircular [1214], and the value of Y could then
be 0.65. Furthermore, a total extrinsic threshold for crack
propagation, DKCR, is dened by the dierence between
the crack propagation threshold for long cracks, DKthR,
and the microstructural threshold, DKdR, function of the
crack length. The parameter k can be estimated as a func-
tion of the same microstructural and mechanical parame-
ters used to dene the material threshold to crack
propagation (DreR, d and DKthR), as follows [22]:
1 DK dR 1 DK dR
k :
4d DK thR  DK dR 4d DK CR
1.2. Fatigue crack propagation assessment
The dierence between the total applied driving force
(dened by the applied stress distribution corresponding
to a given geometrical and loading conguration, DK),
and the threshold for crack propagation, DKth, denes
the eective driving force applied to the crack. By knowing
the crack growth rate as a function of this eective driving
force for a given material, it is possible to estimate the high-
cyclic fatigue crack propagation behavior in the given con-
ditions. This concept is the basis for the resistance-curve
method [14,18,21], which needs to predict the variation of
the propagation threshold as a function of crack length,
while the crack is a small one, tending to a constant value
for long cracks. The high-cyclic fatigue crack propagation
behavior can be estimated for a given crack length range, if
the crack growth rate as a function of the eective driving
force for a given material is known. The initial crack length
is given by the position of the strongest microstructural
barrier, if the material is free of cracks or crack-like aws.
The nal crack length is dened according to critical
parameters related to the loading conditions of the ana-
lyzed components.
How to obtain the threshold for crack propagation for a
given material, DKth, has been explained through expres-
sions (1) and (2).
To estimate the applied driving force DK for a given geo-
metrical and loading conguration, the following general
expression can be used [23]:
p
DK Y Drn pa; 5
where Drn is the applied nominal stress range. The crack
conditions, which allows the denition of the value of
parameter Y as a function of crack length.
The quantitative analysis of fatigue crack growth
requires a constitutive relationship of general validity to
be established between the rate of fatigue crack growth,
da/dN, and some functions of the range of the applied
the threshold for the whole crack length range should be
taken into account, including the short crack regime, where
the fatigue crack propagation threshold is a function of
crack length. Among others, the following relationship
meets these requirements [23]:
da
C DK m  DK m
th ; 6
dN
where C* and m are environmentally-sensitive material
constants obtained from long crack fatigue behavior and
DKth is the crack growth threshold as a function of a and
R, and it also represents the eective resistance of the mate-
rial to fatigue crack propagation. The fatigue crack propa-
4 gation life for a given crack length range and a given
material can be obtained by integrating expression (6)
and using expression (1) for the threshold of the material
(DKth), and a proper expression for the applied driving
force (DK) given by the analyzed loading and geometrical
conguration (expression (5)).
Nonetheless, the conditions for fatigue limit can be ana-
lyzed assuming that it will be dened by the highest nomi-
nal stress level at which fracture does not occur; that is to
say, the nominal stress above which the applied driving
force is greater than the resistance of the material for any
crack length (da/dN > 0 in expression (6)). This analysis
is presented below, following the description of the experi-
 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868 863

mental procedure and results, as well as and the estima-
tions of the threshold curves and the applied driving forces
for dierent kt.
2. Experimental procedure and results
Blocks with a Y-shaped cross section where the web
portion dimensions were 80 mm (high) 25 mm
(thick) 230 mm (long) were cast in sand molds with
the following chemical composition: 3.4% C, 2.63% Si,
0.19% Mn, 0.90% Cu, 0.57% Ni, 0.048% Mg, 0.12% Mo,
0.016% S, 0.041% P. The graphite structure in selected cast-
ing portions has the following measured data: average nod-
ule diameter of 51 lm, nodularity of 90%, and nodular
count of about 100 nod/mm2.
Six specimens (each one of 225 mm in length and
12.5 mm in diameter) were initially machined from the
web of the Y-blocks, followed by heat treatment. Speci-
mens were rst austenitized in salt bath at 900 C for
1.5 h , after which they were quenched in salt bath at
360 C for 1.5 h and then cooled in air. Mechanical proper-
ties in this condition are 750 MPa in yield strength and
1020 MPa in tensile strength. The nal stages of machin-
run out. Between 10 and 12 specimens from each group
were tested at several stress levels to obtain reliable SN
curves and fatigue limits. The fatigue limit was estimated
as the highest stress level at which no failure was observed.
Specimens that failed from casting defects (three of the
total number of specimens tested) were disregarded in
order to analyze the intrinsic fatigue properties of the
ADI. The inuence of casting defects will be fully
addressed in a future paper.
All fatigue test results are shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows
the fatigue limit, Dre, as a function of the theoretical stress
concentration factor, kt. It can be seen that, when the con-
centration factor increases from 1 to 2, fatigue limit
decreases from 880 MPa to 520 MPa. However, if kt is fur-
ther increased to 2.5, the fatigue limit reduces only 40 MPa.
Below it will be shown that from this kt values the fatigue
limit is mainly given by the threshold for long cracks DKthR
and the notch depth D.
kt
1.02
1000 1.54
Applied Stress Range, n [MPa]

ing, grinding, notching and polishing were then conducted. 2

2.55
Fig. 3 shows the specimen dimension. Four dierent
8
notches with 1 mm in depth were introduced to the speci-
mens. Notch tip radius was 50 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm and
0.5 mm. The theoretical stress concentration factors (kt)
so obtained were 1.02 (smooth specimen), 1.54, 2 and 6
2.55, according to the results from nite element models.
The gage sections of the smooth specimens and the notches
were mechanically polished with a series of grits down to
1 lm diamond paste and chemically etched in 3% Nital,
4
as it can be seen in Fig. 3. This way the microstructure
was revealed before the test in order to look for and ana- Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI)
Grade 2 (ASTM 897M-90)
lyze non-propagating cracks in unbroken specimens by
using scanning electron microscopy.
High-cycle fatigue tests were performed with a rotating 1E+4 1E+5 1E+6 1E+7 1E+8
bending fatigue test machine (2 Ton capacity Schenck), at a Cycles, N
frequency of 40 Hz. All tests were performed at room tem- Fig. 4. Experimental results of fatigue life to fracture as a function of the
perature in laboratory air. Specimens were run to failure or applied nominal stress range for four dierent theoretical stress concen-
to 107 cycles, at which specimens were considered to be a tration factors, kt.

Fig. 3. Specimen dimensions in millimeters. A photograph of one of the specimen notches is also shown.
864 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868

1000 In order to study the existence and nature of non-prop-

eR agating cracks below the fatigue limit and the interaction
=*
e kt between those fatigue cracks and the microstructure as well
eR 880
Experimental Results as the inuence of this interaction on the fatigue limit, two
800 e specimens tested at stress levels just below the fatigue limit
were observed by using scanning electron microscopy.
Fatigue Limit, e [MPa]

Fig. 6 shows examples of microstructural cracks found at

specimens with dierent kt tested at the stress levels men-
620
600 tioned above. All microcracks had similar shape and
dimensions and were initiated from graphite nodules on
520
480
their equatorial plane and oriented perpendicularly with
respect to the applied maximum stress (specimen axe).
400 Observations of the fatigue cracks were hampered by the
large number of nodules and the small size of the few
cracks that were initiated.
Only in few cases the three-dimensional aspect of the
200 problem was still more complex especially when the micro-
1.1 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 crack encompasses two particles. In this case, the crack
Theoretical Stress Concentration Factor, kt prole was far from the equilibrium and cracks were
observed only between two nodules (see example in
Fig. 5. Fatigue limit (Dre) as a function of the theoretical stress
concentration factor, kt.
Fig. 6d).

Fig. 6. Examples of microstructural cracks found at specimens with dierent kt tested at stress levels just below the fatigue limit.
 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868
3. Modelling and predictions
3.1. The microstructural threshold and the strongest
microstructural barrier
In nodular cast iron, the cohesion between the graphite
nodules and the matrix is low [24]. It can therefore be
assumed that the nodules behave like holes, which give rise
to the formation of a crack in their equatorial plane. For
these small cracks the crack front delineated by the particle
does not represent the equilibrium shape, which should be
approximately a semicircle. Crack initiation will take place
preferentially at the specimen surface and surface crack
growth will decrease eventually until the crack adopts an
equilibrium shape, as proposed in reference [24,25].
Observations carried out in this work support those
reported by references [11,24,25] (see Fig. 6), which show
that in absence of casting defects, micro-cracks are initiated
in graphite nodules and propagate following ferrite laths
that are perpendicularly oriented with respect to the
applied maximum stress. Examples in Fig. 6 also show
how micro-cracks are arrested, when they nd ferrite
colognes unfavorably oriented regarding their propagation
directions. These changes in the orientation constitute the
micro-structural barriers to crack propagation, where the
crack located rst from the graphite nodule seems to be
the strongest.
For an accurate assessment of the fatigue microcrack
driving force, the nodule should not be considered a crack
but a notch. Thus, it is necessary to determine a crack
driving force for small cracks inuenced by the nodule.
The problem lies in the analysis of the crack in a stress
eld inuenced by the nodule from which the microcrack
initiates. Then, if it is assumed that the nodules act as
holes, the austempered ductile iron can be considered a
microporous material. The distribution of microstructural
barriers in the matrix can be then supposed to be dened
by the average size of the ausferrite packets (d = 40 lm).
From the evidence of Fig. 6 and by considering that the
rst microstructural barriers are located at a distance
smaller than the average nodule size (50 lm), it is possible
to assume that the strongest microstructural barrier is
actually the one located at a distance 2d from the macro-
notch root; that is to say, the rst barrier located at
30 lm from the graphite nodule from which the micro-
crack nucleates.
Thus, in order to apply the threshold curve methodol-
ogy, the ADI should be regarded as an ausferrite material
with an average size of the ausferrite lath length of about
40 lm plus a distributions of microporous with and aver-
age size of about 50 lm. Assuming this, the strongest
microstructural barrier for the ausferrite material (continu-
ous matrix) would be located at a position d  40 lm from
the specimen or notch surface. But for the ADI, it would be
located at a distance 2d  80 lm from the surface due to
the existence of the graphite nodule, as it is suggested by
the experimental evidence shown in Fig. 6.
865
3.2. The crack growth threshold curve
The threshold for long cracks and the position of the
strongest microstructural barriers were estimated. In order
to estimate the threshold curve with Chapettis model, it is
also necessary to estimate the resistance of the strongest
microstructural barriers. Because the existence of the
graphite nodules that act as holes inuences the stress eld,
the resistance of the strongest microstructural barriers can-
not be assumed to be equal to the smooth fatigue limit of
the ADI, as it can be done for continuous materials. How-
ever, by using the smooth fatigue limit of the ADI (DrADI eR ,
the position of the strongest microstructural barrier (2d),
and the applied stress distribution calculated by consider-
ing the inuence of the hole (graphite nodule), the smooth
fatigue limit of the matrix (DrMatrix
eR , equal to the resistance
of the strongest microstructural barrier) can be roughly
estimated by using a trial-and-error method. The stress dis-
tribution in a microporous isotropic material with similar
notches to those shown in Fig. 3 was studied in a previous
work [26], where the following expression was obtained for
tensile loading:
Dryy x kt
q 1 ebx ; 7
Drn 1  4:5xR q
where R is the nodule radius and b is an empirical constant
found to be 120 [1/mm] for all analyzed cases (D = 1 mm,
kt = 1.02, 1.54, 2, 2,55, q = 50, 2, 1, 0.5 mm, porous diam-
eter 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 lm, three-dimensional elastic anal-
ysis). The rst part of the right term of expression (7)
denes the stress concentration due to the notch, and the
term between branches denes the stress concentration
due to the micronotch (nodule) and is a function that tends
to the unity for x/R values higher than 2; that is to say, the
inuence of the graphite nodule vanishes after a distance
similar to its size.
4. Results and discussions
4.1. Smooth fatigue limit
Fig. 7a shows the stress distribution obtained by using
expression (7) for bending loading when a nominal stress
level of 880 MPa (fatigue limit) is applied to a smooth spec-
imen with a micronotch of radius 50 lm. Here the micro-
notch was conservatively considered to have a radius
equal to the stated diameter of the graphite nodule, and
the crack was considered semicircular. Fig. 7 also shows
the threshold curve for crack propagation corresponding
to a continuous matrix estimated with expression (2) by
using the threshold for long cracks DKthR, the position of
the strongest microstructural barrier d = 40 lm and its esti-
mated resistance DrMatrix
eR . It can be seen that the applied
stress becomes equal to the threshold stress for crack prop-
agation for a crack length a = 2d  80 lm. By using this
procedure, the resistance of the strongest microstructural
866 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868

Threshold Curve, th
Applied Stress Distribution,

[MPa] n = eR = 880 MPa [MPa] n = e = 620 MPa
2 kt = 1.02 2 kt = 1.54

1000 1000

5 5
th
th
Graphite Graphite
Nodule Nodule
d 2d d 2d
2 2
0.01 0.10 1.00 0.01 0.10 1.00
a [mm] a [mm]

[MPa] n = e = 510 MPa n = e = 460 MPa
[MPa]
2 kt = 2 2 kt = 2.55

1000 1000

5 5

th th
Graphite Graphite
Nodule Nodule
d 2d d 2d
2 2
0.01 0.10 1.00 0.01 0.10 1.00
a [mm] a [mm]

Fig. 7. Stress distributions estimated by using expression (7) and threshold curves for crack propagation estimated with expression (2) for four dierent
stress concentration factors: kt = 0.02 (a), 1.54 (b), 2 (c) and 2.55 (d).

barrier is estimated to be DrMatrix

eR 1000 MPa. It is worth
noting that this value is similar to the strength of the ADI,
which is in accordance with the trend usually observed for
steels with a continuous matrix.
The resistance of the strongest microstructural barrier
can also be estimated with the same procedure, though
using the applied stress intensity factor instead of the
applied stress distribution. In this case, considering that
the inuence of the notch extends to a distance similar to
the one between the micronotch (graphite nodule) and
the strongest microstructural barrier of the ADI, an equiv-
alent crack, whose length includes the micronotch size, can
be considered.
The approximate local stress intensity factor range for
small cracks at notches that are in elastic stress elds in
terms of the cracks length, a, notch root radius, q, nominal
stress range, Drn, and elastic stress concentration factor, kt,
was estimated by the following expression obtained by
Lukas et al. [27] and modied according to the empirical
formulation of Newman and Raju [28], taking into account
the type of loading (bending):
p tance 2d from the surface. This assumption was dened
kt
DK p YH Drn pa; 8 taking into account the experimental results, which showed
1 4:5a=q
where the crack length a includes the micronotch size and
H is a parameter of Newman and Rajus empirical formu-
lation [28].
Fig. 8a shows the threshold curve in terms of the stress
intensity factor range estimated by using expression (1) for
a continuous matrix and the applied driving force DK given
by expression (8) for crack length a P 2d and for a nominal
stress range equal to 880 MPa and applied to an smooth
specimen with a micronotch where the microcrack
nucleates.
4.1.1. Fatigue blunt-notch sensitivity
Figs. 7b, c and d show the estimated threshold stress for
the continuous ausferrite matrix and the applied stress dis-
tributions given by expression (7) for applied nominal
stress range corresponding to the fatigue limit estimated
by using the present approach for stress concentrations fac-
tors kt equal to 1.54, 2 and 2.55. Figs. 8b, c and d show sim-
ilar results but as a function of the stress intensity factor
range. All graphs in Figs. 7 and 8 show the fatigue limit
condition dened by the strongest barrier located at a dis-
that the length of the non-propagating cracks observed just
 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868 867

ADI Threshold Curve, Kth

Ausferrite Threshold Curve
Applied Driving Force, K

25 25
K n = eR = 880 MPa K n = e = 620 MPa
[MPa] [MPa]
20 kt = 1.02 20 kt = 1.54

K K
15 15

10 Kth 10 Kth

5 5 Graphite
Graphite
Nodule Nodule
d 2d d 2d
0 0
0.01 0.10 1.00 0.01 0.10 1.00
a [mm] a [mm]

25 25
K K n = e = 460 MPa
n = eR = 510 MPa
[MPa] [MPa]
20 kt = 2 20 kt = 2.55

15 K 15

Kth K
10 10 Kth

5 5 Graphite
Graphite
Nodule Nodule
d 2d d 2d
0 0
0.01 0.10 1.00 0.01 0.10 1.00
a [mm] a [mm]

Fig. 8. Applied driving forces as a function of crack length in terms of the applied stress intensity factor estimated by using expression (8) and threshold
curves for crack propagation estimated with expression (1) for four dierent stress concentration factors. kt = 0.02 (a), 1.54 (b), 2 (c) and 2.55 (d).

below the fatigue limit does not change with kt for the stud-
ied range and geometrical and loading conguration, and is
given by the position of the strongest microstructural bar-
rier located at a distance 2d from the specimen surface. Full
agreement with the experimental results can then be
observed (see experimental results in Fig. 5 and estimated
ones in Fig. 7 or Fig. 8).
Fatigue crack propagation threshold as a function of the
crack depth is dened mainly by the smooth fatigue limit of
the ADI, DrADIeR (fatigue limit without stress concentration),
and the mechanical threshold for long cracks, DKthR. The
relative dierence between both values denes the existence
and nature of no-propagation cracks under fatigue limit
(See Figs. 1, 7 and 8). For a given threshold for long cracks
(DKthR), an increase on DrADI eR will increase the fatigue
notch sensitivity and also the crack length range for which
the propagation limit is dened as a mechanical propaga-
tion threshold.
It can be seen from Figs. 7 and 8 that the fatigue limit of
the ADI is given by the rst eective microstructural barrier
for all kt analyzed. As it was observed for all non-propagat-
ing cracks found just below the fatigue limit, their length is
dened by the position of the rst microstructural barrier
for blunt notches (kt < 2.5), and according to Figs. 7 and
8, the fatigue limit is given by the mechanical threshold for
long cracks for sharp notches (kt > 2.5), whereas the maxi-
mum length of non-propagating cracks observed below
the fatigue limit is then given by the applied stress level.
Finally, it should be noted that, despite the elasticity of
the macroscopic behaviour in all analyzed congurations,
there is some uncertainty over the application of linear-
elastic fracture mechanics to microcracks where cracks
sizes are comparable to the scale of the microstructure
and crack-tip plasticity.
5. Conclusions
In this work, the fatigue limit and the blunt-notch sensi-
tivity of an austempered ductile iron (ADI) of grade 2
(ASTM 897 M-90) were experimentally and theoretically
analyzed by using a mechanistic fatigue crack growth
methodology that uses an integrated threshold curve for
fatigue crack propagation. The existence and nature of
non-propagating cracks under the fatigue limit and their
inuence on the denition of the fatigue limit for blunt
notches were also analyzed. Experimental results allowed
the denition of the necessary assumptions for the applica-
tion of the integrated threshold curve method.
868 M.D. Chapetti / International Journal of Fatigue 29 (2007) 860868
The observations demonstrate that the crack arrest con-
trols the fatigue limit in ADI. Ausferrite packet boundaries
act as barriers to the short fatigue crack, due to a require-
ment for stage I growth in the ausferrite matrix. The
strength of the barrier depends on the relative orientations
of the microstructure at the boundary.
The fatigue limit of the ADI analyzed is inuenced by
the micronotch eect of the graphite nodules. However,
it is possible to estimate a true matrix fatigue limit for
the ausferrite microstructure, and the experimentally mea-
sured limit may be described as an ADI or component fati-
gue limit.
The fatigue notch sensitivity was successfully predicted
by using a threshold curve method. The analysis shows
the ability of the methodology to predict the inuence of
dierent mechanical, microstructural and geometrical vari-
ables involved in the denition of the fatigue properties of
the analyzed ADI.
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