The low-cycle fatigue behaviour of grey cast iron and its application to fatigue problems in diesel engine cylinder liners

Cracking of cast iron cylinder liners in some large railway diesel engines is identified as a high strain fatigue problem. A series of low-cycle fatigue tests on three cast irons is reported. An improved material, in which the cooling rate in the critical region of the cylinder liner is slower than normal, has been produced and is shown to be clearly superior to two cast irons used extensively in service. This superiority is due to an improved resistance to both fatigue crack initiation and propagation.