The investigation and peculiarities of calculation of transport machine elements made of austempered ductile iron

In this article the statical and cyclical strength investigations of austempered ductile cast iron (ADI) are presented. ADI material becomes more and more popular. Ductile iron is lighter than steel and its mechanical properties are better. ADI has good resistance to fatigue, high tensile strength, toughness and ductility. The fatigue crack initiation generally occurs in the graphite matrix. In the work the kinetic fatigue diagrams, longevity distributions laws and the mathematical model of crack growth ratio are described. The blanks of material were cut from a tooth of gear. Structure of the material consists of bainite and spherical graphite. The mechanical properties of ADI were obtained with assessment of chemical composition. The determined statical mechanical properties of two different ADI materials are presented. The compact specimen was produced in order to determine a threshold stress intensity factor. According to the investigations the stress intensity factor (threshold) for the ADI 6.2.02 and for the ADI 9.4.02 are eveluated. The carried out investigations are insufficient for the complete evaluation of austempered ductile iron for the production of transport equipment elements

Fracturing of a defective plate under cyclic loading

In 1994 the authors of the present paper, with the assistance of the staff of the Laboratory of Strength Mechanics in Vilnius Gediminas Technical University initiated investigation into defective construction elements. Cyclic fracturing processes were investigated in such construction elements that are subject to geometric uniformity disturbance, i.e. in heavily loaded defective elements. The limit value of the stress intensity factor was determined using the CT specimens. This value defines the threshold for stress intensity below that a crack does not propagate. The accuracy of these results was tested for a compact specimen with a rounded notch. A cyclic loading program was selected and tests were conducted to determine conditions favouring crack appearance in a defective plate. A cast iron plate with natural defects was loaded cyclically and studied until its breakdown. Experimental investigations prove that conditions for crack formation in defective construction elements are only satisfactorily defined by the fracture mechanics criterion Δ K th (stress intensity factor threshold) and the endurance limit of a plane-surface specimen. The stress and strain state in a defective area having an influence on crack appearance was analysed, and the effect of defects and loading conditions on the processes of crack formation and propagation was evaluated. Programmed computations of geometrical parameters qualify the experimental results