Concurrent ratcheting-fatigue damage analysis of uniaxially loaded A-516 Gr.70 and 42CrMo Steels.

ABSTRACT This study intends to investigate the concurrent interaction of fatigue damage and ratcheting strain in two commonly used steel alloys of (American Society for Testing and Materials) ASTM A-516 Gr.70 and 42CrMo, respectively for pressure vessels and high grade machinery parts over uniaxial stress cycles. Ratcheting extension and fatigue damage progress were both characterized cycle-by-cycle over life cycles of tested materials. The interaction of ratcheting and fatigue damage was defined based on mechanistic parameters involving the effects of mean stress, stress amplitude and cyclic softening/hardening response of materials. The extent of ratcheting effect was defined by product of average ratcheting strain per cycle, and maximum stress value during a cycle, while fatigue damage was analysed based on earlier developed energy-based models of Xia-Ellyin, and Smith-Watson-Topper. Overall damage due to ratcheting and fatigue was calibrated through a weighting factor at various mean/ cyclic amplitude stresses. An algorithm was developed to evaluate overall damage due to ratcheting and fatigue stress cycles of materials subjected to various mean and amplitude stresses. The estimated lives at different mean stresses and stress amplitudes for ASTM A-516 Gr.70 and 42CrMo samples showed good agreements as compared with those of reported experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]