Name: Srikanth.

K
Reg.No.15PHD 1093

Fracture mechanics and Fatigue

ASSIGNEMENT- 4
1. Why is it difficult to formulate crack initiation of a fatigue crack?
Answer:

 A fatigue crack grows with each applied load cycle and therefore, crack growth per
unit cycle da/dN, is an important parameter.
 da/dN is extremely small, may be as small as 10-10 m/cycle which is of the order of
one lattice parameter.
 Such a small crack growth rate cannot be detected easily and, it is included in crack
initiation.

2. How does a fatigue crack get initiated on a smooth surface?

Answer:

 When the smooth surface specimen of metal is subjected to a cyclic load it is observed
that dislocation grid bands initiate on the specimen surface.
 With increasing load cycle this grid band multiply laterally and become denser. As a
result the surface no longer remains smooth.
 The dislocation transport material from or to the surface, creating extrusion and intrusion
on the surface. An intrusion act like a crack with finite ΔK.

Fig.1 Extrusion and intrusion created by glide blade

3. What is crack closure? Why does it happen?
Answer:
 Crack is a finite fatigue tensile stress when the crack faces start touching each other
during unloading portion of a load cycle.
 When the stress is reduced further to zero compressive stress at the crack tip is
developed.
 In fatigue loading each cycle produce some crack extension forming a ridge and valley,
known as striation. Surface of striation is not smooth.
 They are rough owing to non-uniform local plastic deformation during separation. It is
quite improbable to expect that all the peak and of the top surface will fit exactly with the
valley of the bottom surface on unloading.
 Therefore peak and valley match not in the zero tensile stress at unloading but at a certain
value. Thus crack closure happened at certain tensile value.

Early clouser of a crack and retarding in ∆ k and ∆ k eff

4. How is crack propagation rate determined for variable amplitude fluctuating load?
Answer:
 The number of the retarded crack load cycles depends on the relative magnitudes of
stresses.
 In case of variable amplitudes loads there are many overload pulses, each having
associated with retarded crack growth.
  It is difficult to keep track of extend of retardation and predict the crack growth.
 So for calculation on variable amplitude fluctuating load we take variable amplitude
is limited to narrow band and the retardation of crack growth is ignored.
PART B

1. Determine nucleation life if a slot is made in a large plate (hy-130 steel) having a tip-
radius of 2mm and a length of 40mm from one edge to another. The plate is subjected to a
fatigue load of σmax = 140 MPa and σmin = 0.0 MPa.
Answer:
Given ϱ= 2mm, a0=0.04 m, σmax = 140 MPa and σmin = 0.0 MPa.

∆KI = Kmax - Kmin , WKT For this large plate with a edge crack f(a/W)= 1.12

Where Kmax = f(a/W) σmax√πa = 1.12×140× √ (π×0.04) = 55.58 MPa √m = ∆KI

Now For nucleation life we have to find the ∆KI/√ ϱ to find the life cycles N

So ∆KI/√ ϱ = 55.58/√0.002 = 1242.98 i.e,. 1243 MPa

The value N for ∆KI/√ ϱ=1243 MPa and

ϱ= 2mm will be approximately 40 × 103 cycles

Fig. 2 Dependence of nucleation life on radius of curvature of the defect and ∆K I for HY-130 Steel

Therefore the nucleation life will be 40000 cycles.

2. Determine the propagation life for the case of problem 1 if the crack is not allowed to
exceed 60% of the critical length corresponding to K IC = 150 MPa √m. use the paris law
with C = 7.2 X 10-12 MPa-3 m-1/2 and m=3.0. Also determine the total fatigue life (take slot
length as initial crack length).
Answer:
From the first problem initial crack length = a0 = 40mm = 0.04 m
 KIC = 150 MPa √m, C = 7.2 X 10-12 MPa-3 m-1/2 and m=3.0, σmax = 140 MPa

WKT KIC = f(a/W) σmax√πa …………………. (1)

For this large plate with a edge crack f(a/W)= 1.12

From equation (1), ac = KIC2 / π(1.12 σmax)2 = 1502 / π(1.12×140)2 = 0.2931 m

if the crack is not allowed to exceed 60% of the critical length then

af = 0.6×ac = 0.6×0.2931 = 0.17478 m

Crack propagation life equation is given by

( −m2 +1) (−m +1)

a0 +a f 2
Np = a m

( m
2 ) ( ) W
m
−1 C f m 0 ( ∆ σ ) π 2

( −32 +1) (−32 +1)

0.04 +0.17478
Np = 3
3

( ) 2
3
−1 ×7.2 X 10−12 × 1.123 × ( 140 ) π 2

Np = 33.75×103 Cycles …..Propagation life

Total Fatigue life can be determined by

Total Fatigue life = 33.75×103 + 40 × 103 = 73.75×103 Cycles

3. The Paris law of fatigue growth of a crack is known to have the form
da 3
=C ( Δ K I )
dN
Where a is in meter and ( Δ K I ) in MPa √m. The centre crack in a large plate, initially
of length 2a= 8mm, grows to 2a= 10mm in 2000 load cycles when a constant amplitude
fluctuating load is applied with σmax = 180 MPa and σmin = 100 MPa. Determine the life of
the component beyond 2a= 10 mm if the same amplitude load continues on the
component and the maximum allowable crack length in the damage tolerant design is
2a = 50 mm.
Answer :

Paris law is given by,

 da
=C ( Δ K I ) m
dN
Therefore, m = 3

Centre crack is given with,

2a = 8 mm, hence a0 = 4 mm
2a = 10mm, hence af = 5 mm

Np = 2000 cycles
−m −m
( +1 ) ( +1)
a0 2 −a f 2
Therefore, N p= m …………. (1)
m m a0
(2 ) m 2
−1 C f ( )( ∆ σ ) π
W

Here, σmax = 180 MPa and σmin= 100 Mpa ∆ σ = 180 – 100 = 80
MPa

For large plate, f ( Wa )=1.12

0

Using (1), C = 1.6531×10-11

Now,
2a = 10 mm, hence a0 = 5 mm 2a = 50 mm, hence af = 25 mm
Therefore, from these values, we get life of component as,
Np = 9366.78, i.e. 9367 cycles.
4. To find material constants for paris law, it was found that an already nucleated centre
crack grows from 2a= 5.6 mm to 2a = 7 mm in 10,000 cycles of a constant amplitude
load. When the same load is continued, the crack grows from 2a = 32mm to 2a = 36.8
mm in 1400 cycles. If with σmax = 180 MPa and σmin = 90 MPa, find the constants C and
m.
Answer: For 1st case,
2a0 = 5.6 mm, hence a0 = 2.8 mm
2af = 7 mm, hence af = 3.5 mm
Np = 10000 cycles
σmax = 180 MPa and σmin = 90 MPa
Therefore, ∆ σ = 180 – 90 = 90 MPa
 −m −m
( +1 ) ( +1)
2 2
−a fa 0
N p= m
m m a0
( 2 ) m
−1 C f ( )( ∆ σ ) π 2
W
−m −m
( +1) ( +1 )
2 2
0.0028 −0.0035
10000= m ……. (1)
m
1.12∗ ( 2 )
−1 C (90)m π 2

Similarly, for 2nd case,

2a0 = 32 mm, hence a0 = 16 mm
2af = 36.8 mm, hence af = 18.4 mm
Np = 1400 cycles
σmax = 180 MPa and σmin = 90 MPa
Therefore, ∆ σ = 180 – 90 = 90 MPa
−m −m
( +1 ) ( +1)
−a f 2 a0 2
N p= m
m a
2 ( )
−1 C f m ( 0 )( ∆ σ )m π 2
W
−m −m
( +1) ( +1)
2 2
0.0 16 −0.0184
1400= m ……. (2)
m
1.12∗ ( 2 )
−1 C(90)m π 2

Dividing equation (1) and (2), from trial and error method we got
m = 3.176 and from Equation (1) we get C = 12.1755×10-12 MPa-3 m-1/2