Evaluation of the threshold for the development of fatigue cracks in a railway steel under harmonic and operational loading

The results of experimental studies of the fatigue crack development in 20GFL steel specimens cut from a cast bolster of a freight car are presented. The ratio of the threshold stress intensity coefficient Kth determined from the kinetic diagram of fatigue fracture and from the average parameters of the operational loading process is considered using the experimental results with a simulation of operational loading. Tests were carried out upon the development of permanent blocks of crack opening in the specimen (in a rigid loading mode). The operational process is presented in the form of a block of consecutive loading cycles recorded during the test of the car frame in conditions typical for a straight section of the railway track. The threshold operational level is determined by the algorithm of gradual reduction of the loading similar to the original process. The regularities in a decrease of the rate of crack development and corresponding decrease in the load were determined. Subsequent extrapolation of the obtained experimental regularities to zero value of the crack propagation rate provided estimation of the threshold loading level, similar to the initially specified value. It is shown that the value of the threshold level of the fatigue crack development in low-alloy steel 20GFL obtained from the fatigue fracture diagram (i.e., under harmonic loading) is significantly higher than that obtained from the estimate based on the average values of the operational loading process. The considered model of operational loading gives greater damage compared to harmonic loading, on the basis of which the survivability of structural elements is usually assessed.

Fatigue crack growth under mixed-mode I + II and I + III in heat treated 42CrMo4 steel

The paper contains the results of an experimental investigation of fatigue crack development under mixed-mode I + II and I + III in heat-treated 42CrMo4 steel. Tests were performed on heat-treated compact tension shear specimens and rectangular cross-section specimens for mixed-mode I + III. Mixed-mode I + II tests were conducted for 30 and 60° loading angle, while the test for I + III mixed-mode was conducted for 30 and 45°. Additionally, the paper presents fracture analysis results of fatigue crack path development.

Fractographic Study of Marine Diesel Engine Connecting Rod Stud Bolt Crack

Failures of marine diesel engine components can lead to serious consequences for a vessel, cargo and the people on board a ship. These consequences can be financial losses, delay in delivery time or a threat to safety of the people on board. This is why it is necessary to learn about connecting rod bolt failures in order to prevent worst-case scenarios. This paper aims at determining the origin, velocity and the duration of fatigue crack development of a diesel alternator engine which suffered a significant failure of one of its mains, not long after a major overhaul had been completed and with less than 1000 running hours having elapsed. It was verified with fatigue rupture of one of the four connecting rod stud bolts. Tensile tests were performed in the remaining connecting rod bolts. During this procedure, another fatigue crack in an adjacent bolt was identified. The probable root case of damage, and at the end some final remarks are presented.

Railway Rail Material Quality Tests

The article presents the obligatory qualitative tests of the material of railway rails, performed for the railway industry and having the status of qualifying tests, to which railway rails are subjected. They include tests of fracture mechanics (determination of the critical stress intensity factor KIC, determination of the fatigue crack development velocity da / dN), determination of stresses in rail feet and fatigue tests. The article presents the results of tests of standard-gauge rails type 60E1, rolled from R260 steel by selected European producers, and an analysis of the results was carried out based on the guidelines of the PN-EN 13674-1 + A1: 2017-07 standard. Keywords: quality tests of rails, KIC coefficient, propagation da/dN, stress

EVALUATION OF CHARACTERISTICS OF RESISTANCE OF PROPAGATION OF CORROSION- FATIGUE CRACKS OF LONG-TERM OPERATED DRILL PIPES

The aim of the proposed article is to determine the patterns of the corrosion-fatigue cracks in long-term operational metal elements of drill strings (steel 45, 36G2S, 40HN) when drilling wells in corrosive environments (drilling fluid "Biocar", potassium polymer mud and on the air). Based on the obtained results of experimental studies, diagrams of cyclic corrosion crack resistance for the studied systems "metal - medium" were drawn. The cyclic crack resistance characteristics of long-used metals of drill string elements are determined - the values of constants (C and n) in power dependence of Paris, as well as the values of threshold and critical stress intensity factory. The influence of drilling mud of the corrosion crack resistance of the investigated metals of drill string elements was estimated quantitatively. In particular, in the environment of drilling mud "Biocar" the process of corrosion-fatigue crack development in the studied metals of the elements of drill strings is not significantly, in the range of 1-5%, differs from the development of fatigue crack on the air. Whereas in the potassium polymer drilling mud media, the rate of corrosion-fatigue cracks development in the investigated metals of the drill strings elements significantly, in the range of 15-35%, differs from the development of fatigue cracks on the air. It is established that under the influence of working loads the process of the corrosion-fatigue crack development in long-operated elements of drilling string is accelerated by more than 10% in the media of the potassium polymeric drilling mud than in the environment of drilling mud "Biocar".

Setup for studying the kinetics of crack growth in cyclic bending tests

The goal of the study is analysis of the features of fatigue cyclic fracture of steels. An installation has been designed to induce fatigue cracks and to study the kinetics of fatigue crack development. Crack growth is recorded by the method of potential difference. The data on the crack growth kinetics were processed on a computer using LGraph2 programs and Excel spreadsheets. When studying the kinetics of the fatigue crack development, the electrodes were soldered to the edges of the initial notch of the sample and time dependence of the potential difference was recorded on a computer during crack growth. To interpret the experimental data, a calibration chart in the coordinates «potential difference (U) – the crack length (Lcr)» constructed on the basis of the millivoltmeter readings was used, with due regard for the size of the sample section, current flow and length of the fatigue crack. Cyclic loading of the sample resulted in a stepwise character of the crack growth: first occurred zone of plastic deformation of the metal is then followed by accumulation of stresses of a certain size, their relaxation in the form of a crack and sudden crack growth. An abrupt crack growth is clearly visible on a graph of the fatigue crack growth rate obtained upon computer processing of experimental data. Using a graphical editor KOMPAS, a graph was constructed which characterized the growth of the fatigue crack against the number of cycles of fatigue tests for bending. The experimental setup provides the possibility of fatigue crack formation for impact tests, determination of the work of crack propagation, as well as studying of the kinetics of crack development and computer processing of experimental data.

MODELS OF PHYSICALLY SHORT AND MACROSCOPIC CRACK DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR APPLICATION FOR TIN BASED BABBIT

The stages of fatigue crack development are analyzed. The well-known models of physically short cracks and generalized models describing some stages are shown. A perspectivity of a statistical generalized model offered is shown. The parameters obtained of a cyclic crack resistance of tin-based babbit are presented.