Fatigue & Creep in Engineering

Materials

Chapter 8 - 1
 Fatigue
• Fatigue = failure under applied cyclic stress.
specimen compression on top

motor counter
bearing bearing

flex coupling
t
tension
i on b
bottom
tt

• Stress varies with time. 

max
-- key parameters are S,
S m, and
S
cycling frequency m
min time

• Key points: Fatigue...

--can cause part failure, even though max < y.
--responsible
ibl ffor ~ 90% off mechanical
h i l engineering
i i ffailures.
il
Chapter 8 - 2
 Fatigue: Definitions
Asymmetric
Symmetric

Random
d

Chapter 8 - 3
Fatigue: Definitions

Chapter 8 - 4
 Types of Fatigue Behavior

S = stress amplitude
• Fatigue limit, Sfat: case for
--no fatigue if S < Sfat unsafe steel (typ.)
Sfat

safe

10 3 10 5 10 7 10 9
N = Cycles to failure

S = stress aamplitude
• For some materials, case for
there is no fatigue unsafe Al (typ.)
limit!
safe

10 3 10 5 10 7 10 9
N = Cycles to failure
Chapter 8 - 5
Ex: Fatigue in 7075-T6 Aluminum
Alloy

Chapter 8 - 6
 Rate of Fatigue Crack Growth
• Crack grows incrementally
typ. 1 to 6
da
 K 
m
dN
~   a
increase in crack length per loading cycle
crack origin
• Failed rotating shaft
-- crack grew even though
Kmax < Kc
-- crack grows faster as
•  increases
• crack gets longer
• loading freq. increases.

Chapter 8 - 7
Fatigue Failure in Ductile Materials
(Aluminum)

Chapter 8 - 8
Fatigue Failure in Brittle Material

Chapter 8 - 9
Importance of Mean Stress

Chapter 8 - 10
 Improving Fatigue Life
1. Impose compressive

amplitude
Adapted from
surface stresses Fig. 8.24, Callister &

(to suppress surface

Rethwisch 8e8e.

S = stress a
near zero or compressive m
cracks from growing) moderate tensile m
Larger tensile m

N = Cycles to failure

--Method 1: shot peening --Method 2: carburizing

shot
C-rich
C rich gas
putt
surface
into
compression

2. Remove stress bad better

concentrators. Adapted from
Fig. 8.25, Callister &
bad better Rethwisch 8e.

Chapter 8 - 11
Effect of Surface Compressive
Stresses

Chapter 8 - 12
 Effect of Surface Compressive
Stresses
Hardened
Case depth by
Carburization (or
Nitriding)

In compression Micro-indentation
marks

Chapter 8 - 13
 Environmental Effects

Thermal cycle…..stress cycle…..Thermal fatigue….

Chapter 8 - 14
 Creep
Sample deformation at a constant stress () vs. time




0 t

Primary Creep: slope (creep rate)

decreases with time.
Secondary Creep: steady-state
i.e., constant slope /t)
Tertiary Creep: slope (creep rate) Adapted from
Fig. 8.28, Callister &
increases with time, i.e. acceleration of rate. Rethwisch 8e.

Chapter 8 - 15
 Creep: Temperature Dependence
• Occurs at elevated temperature, T > 0.4 Tm (in K)

tertiary

primary
secondary

elastic

Chapter 8 - 16
 Secondary Creep
• Strain rate is constant at a given T, 
-- strain hardening is balanced by recovery
stress exponent (material parameter)
 Qc 
 s  K 2 exp  
n
activation energy for creep
strain rate  RT  ( t i l parameter)
(material t )
material const. applied stress

• S
Strain rate 200
427ºC
s (MPa)

increases 100
538ºC
g
with increasing 40
Stress

T,  20
649ºC
10

10 -2 10 -1 1
Steady state creep rate s (%/1000hr)
Chapter 8 - 17
 A better & more informative
Material constant Creep Equation
depending on Activation energy
gy for
creep mechanism
h i
Self-diffusion

Grain size Applied stress

m & b depend on the creep mechanism

Chapter 8 - 18
 Mechanisms of Creep
The mechanism of creep depends on temperature and
stress. The various methods are:

Bulk diffusion (Nabarro-Herring creep)

Dislocation climb -here the strain is actually

accomplished by climb

Climb-assisted glide — here the climb is an enabling

mechanism,, allowingg dislocations to gget around obstacles

Grain boundary diffusion (Coble creep)

Thermally activated glide — e.g., via cross-slip

Chapter 8 - 19
 Mechanisms of Creep
p
“Things to know…”

Dislocations related creep……………….. m = 4-6, and b = 0. It has a strong

dependence on the applied stress and no grain size dependence.
Nabarro Herring Creep (Bulk
Nabarro-Herring (B lk Diff’n)………..m
Diff’n) = 1,
1 and b = 2.
2 Atoms
At
diffuse through the lattice causing grains to elongate along the stress axis; it
creep has a weak stress dependence and a moderate grain size dependence.
Coble Creep (Grain boundary diffusion)….
diffusion) m = 1, 1 and b = 3.
3 Atoms diffuse
along grain boundaries to elongate the grains along the stress axis. This causes
Coble creep to have a stronger grain size dependence than Nabarro-Herring
creep.
p Here,, Q(g
Q(grain boundaryy diffusion)
ff ) < Q(self
Q( f diffusion),
ff ), Coble creepp
occurs at lower temperatures than Nabarro-Herring creep.

Thermally activated glide — e.g., via cross-slip

Chapter 8 - 20
 Creep Failure
• Failure: along grain boundaries.

g.b. cavities

applied
stress

Chapter 8 - 21
Creep Failure in S-590 Alloy

fig_08_31
Chapter 8 -
 Prediction of Creep Rupture Lifetime
• Estimate rupture time
S-590 Iron, T = 800ºC,  = 20,000 psi

100 Ti
Time to
t rupture,
t tr
T (20  log t r )  L

Strress (103 psi)

20 function of
temperature
10 applied stress
time to failure (rupture)

data for
S-590 Iron

12 16 20 24 28
1 (1073 K )(20  log t r )  24 x103
103 L (K-h)

Ans: tr = 233 hr
Chapter 8 - 23
 Estimate the rupture time for
S 590 Iron,
S-590 750ºC  = 20,000
Iron T = 750ºC, 20 000 psi
• Solution:

Time to rupture, tr 100

psi)
T (20  log t r )  L

ess (103 p
20
temperature function of
applied stress 10
time to failure
fail re (rupture)
(r pt re)

Stre
data for

g t r )  24 x10 3
(1023 K )(20  log S-590 Iron
1
12 16 20 24 28
103 L (K-h)
Ans: tr = 2890 hr

Chapter 8 - 24
 To Increase Creep
p Rupture
p
Resistance:

1) Use large grain size material, highly

directions g
grains or a single
g crystal.
y
2) Use heavy alloying (grain boundary
g dislocation drag
drag, g etc.))
3) Use high melting point material
4)) Use high
g modulus of elasticityy
material

Make sure it’s justifiable ($$$$$...)

Chapter 8 - 25
 SUMMARY
• Engineering materials not as strong as predicted by theory
• Flaws act as stress concentrators that cause failure at
stresses lower than theoretical values.
• Sharp corners produce large stress concentrations
andd premature
t failure.
f il
• Failure type depends on T and :
For simple fracture (noncyclic  and T < 0.4Tm), failure stress
-For
decreases with:
- increased maximum flaw size,
- decreased T,,
- increased rate of loading.
- For fatigue (cyclic :
- cycles
y to fail decreases as  increases.
- For creep (T > 0.4Tm):
- time to rupture decreases as  or T increases. Chapter 8 - 26
ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chapter 8 - 27