Open Access

In this paper, the correlation of the cyclic J-integral, ΔJ, and the cyclic crack-tip opening displacement, ΔCTOD, is studied in the presence of crack closure to assess the question if ΔJ describes the crack-tip opening displacement in this case. To this end, a method is developed to evaluate ΔJ numerically within finite-element calculations. The method is validated for an elastic–plastic material that exhibits Masing behavior. Different strain ranges and strain ratios are considered under fully plastic cyclic conditions including crack closure. It is shown that the cyclic J-integral is the parameter to determine the cyclic crack-tip opening displacement even in cases where crack closure is present.

Detailed material investigations of the fatigue behavior of two cast aluminium alloys used in combustion engines are presented. The network of intermetallic phases of both aluminium alloys is characterized by means of detailed energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. In order to investigate the temperature-dependent fatigue behavior of the materials, tensile, low cycle and thermomechanical fatigue tests are performed over a wide temperature and loading range. The influence of the temperature dependence on the experimental results is discussed.

In this paper, the influence of the material hardening behavior on plasticity-induced fatigue crack closure is investigated for strain-controlled loading and fully plastic, large-scale yielding conditions by means of the finite element method. The strain amplitude and the strain ratio are varied for given Ramberg–Osgood material properties representing materials with different hardening behavior. The results show a pronounced influence of the hardening behavior on crack closure, while no significant effect is found from the considered strain amplitude and strain ratio. The effect of the hardening behavior on the crack opening stress cannot be described by existing crack opening stress equations.

In this paper the fatigue life of three cast iron materials, namely EN-GJS-700, EN-GJV-450 and EN-GJL-250, is predicted for combined thermomechanical fatigue and high cycle fatigue loading. To this end, a mechanism-based model is used, which is based on microcrack growth. The model considers crack growth due to low frequency loading (thermomechanical and low cycle fatigue) and due to high cycle fatigue. To determine the model parameters for the cast iron materials, fatigue tests are performed under combined loading and crack growth is measured at room temperature using the replica technique. Superimposed high cycle fatigue leads to an accelerated crack growth as soon as a critical crack length and thus the threshold stress intensity factor is exceeded. The model takes this effect into account and predicts the fatigue lives of all cast iron materials investigated under combined loadings very well.

In this paper, the time- and temperature-dependent cyclic ratchetting plasticity of the nickel-based alloy IN100 is experimentally investigated in strain-controlled experiments in the temperature range from 300 °C to 1050 °C. To this end, uniaxial material tests are performed with complex loading histories designed to activate phenomena as strain rate dependency, stress relaxation as well as the Bauschinger effect, cyclic hardening and softening, ratchetting and recovery from hardening. Plasticity models with different levels of complexity are presented that consider these phenomena, and a strategy is derived to determine the multitude of temperature-dependent material properties of the models in a step-by-step procedure based on sub-sets of experimental data of isothermal experiments. The models and the material properties are validated based on the results of non-isothermal experiments. A good description of the time- and temperature-dependent cyclic ratchetting plasticity of IN100 is obtained for isothermal as well as non-isothermal loading with models including ratchetting terms in the kinematic hardening law and the material properties obtained with the proposed strategy.