Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Fracture Tests

Identification of defect(s) where crack initiation is possible and prediction of crack propagation are of great importance in materials engineering. The current chapter analyzes the application of the acoustic emission (AE) technique for fracture monitoring in the line pipe steel during single-edge-notched tension (SENT) test and Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact test. It was found that the AE activity starts before the yield point, due to the stress concentration at the crack tip, and increases suddenly before the peak load is reached, due to the fracture initiation. Toward the end of the test, the AE hit density increases again, following intensive crack propagation. The AE analysis conducted in the present chapter showed a strong evidence of AE hit density increasing before the peak load is reached, the moment corresponding to fracture initiation

Detection of crack growth in rail steel using acoustic emission

Increased traffic speeds and axle loads on modern railways enhance rail track degradation. To eliminate track failure due to rail defects, a condition monitoring system requires methods for the early detection of defects which grow in service. Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring is the only non-destructive technique which might be applied online to study the defect growth under traffic loading. However, a high level of traffic noise and a limited signal from crack growth, especially at low crack growth rates, significantly complicate the AE signal analysis. In the present work, the AE monitoring of rail steel fatigue was carried out in a \u27noisy\u27 laboratory environment using different methods of signal analysis. Signal parameters of AE for machine noise, sample deformation and crack growth were identified. The crack growth related AE signature was found to be dependent on fracture mode

Bauschinger effect in Nb and V alloyed line-pipe steels

The UOE process is used for cold forming of large diameter steel line-pipes. Pipe strength has been found to increase (work hardening) or decrease (Bauschinger effect) after the UOE process compared to the plate depending on the steel grade, plate and pipe processing history. The steel chemistry, through the presence of microalloy precipitates, and prior processing, through the size and distribution of microalloy precipitates and presence of retained work hardening, affects the magnitude of the Bauschinger effect. In this paper the microstructures of two (Nb and Nb-V alloyed) steel plates, in terms of (Nb,V)(C,N) particle distributions and dislocation densities, have been related to the Bauschinger parameters in the as rolled and annealed initial conditions. The Bauschinger stress parameter increases with microalloy particle number density and dislocation density increase and the relative importance of the two effects is discussed

Mechanical property development during UOE forming of large diameter pipeline steels

Mechanical properties of large diameter welded steel pipes depend on the thermomechanically controlled rolled (TMCR) plate microstructure and UOE pipe-forming cold deformation sequence. Strength from plate to pipe may increase (work-hardening) or decrease (the Bauschinger effect). Bauschinger effect parameters depend on steel composition and plate processing history. The present study is examining two pipeline grades: X60 (Nb-alloyed) and X65 (Nb- and V-alloyed). Mechanical properties are determined by grain refinement, solid solution, precipitation strengthening mechanisms, and work-hardening (work-softening). The reverse deformation yield drop increases with an increase in the precipitate particle volume fraction and pre-strain. Annealing, leading to a decrease in the dislocation density, reduces the yield drop. The Bauschinger parameters are being quantitatively related to the particle type, size, and volume fraction, and the dislocation density

Effect of holding temperature and time on ferrite formation in dual phase steel produced by strip casting

Conventional dual phase (DP) steel (0.08C-0.81Si-1.47Mn-0.03Al, wt. %) was manufactured by the laboratory simulation of strip casting. The effect of holding temperature and time on microstructure evolution was studied using a quench-deformation dilatometer. Microstructures were observed using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the nose temperature of ferrite phase field is around 650 °C. The kinetics of ferrite formation is fast within the first 100 s of holding at this temperature, and then formation of ferrite continues at a slower rate until it reaches the fraction corresponding to that defined by the lever rule. 70~80 % ferrite was obtained after holding at 650 °C for 100~900 s. Some Widmänstatten ferrite was also observed probably because of a large prior austenite grain size and quenching after holding. In addition, austenite-to-ferrite transformation kinetics is fitted well using Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation. The Avrami exponent for ferrite formation was approximately 1 for both 650 and 670 °C holding temperatures, which means rapid ferrite transformation. It deduces that the ferrite formation obeys a linear growth behavior, which is associated with a decrease in amount of nucleation sites

Influence of loading conditions during tensile testing on acoustic emission

The Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring technique is widely used in mechanical and material research for detection of plastic deformation, fracture initiation and crack growth. However, the influence of AE features (such as signal amplitude, frequency, rise time and duration) on the fracture parameters (such as brittle or ductile mode of propagation and fracture propagation speed) is not completely understood. In this paper, the effect of loading conditions on fracture behavior was studied using AE monitoring during tensile testing of an aluminum alloy specimen. The fracture development was observed using a high speed video camera and was analyzed using the finite element method. The hardware and software produced by Physical Acoustics Corporation (USA) was used. Variations in AE parameters were analyzed and correlated to the stress-Strain curves obtained during testing. It is shown that the strain rate and the presence of a crack (modeled by a notch on the sample), affect the fracture mode (brittle or ductile) and a relative amount of the mode dependent AE signatures

Effect of mo, nb and v on hot deformation behaviour, microstructure and hardness of microalloyed steels

Three novel low carbon microalloyed steels with various additions of Mo, Nb and V were investigated after thermomechanical processing simulations designed to obtain ferrite-bainite microstructure. With the increase in microalloying element additions from the High V-to NbV-to MoNbV-microalloyed steel, the high temperature flow stresses increased. The MoNbV and NbV steels have shown a slightly higher non-recrystallization temperature (1000°C) than the High V steel (975°C) due to the solute drag from Nb and Mo atoms and austenite precipitation of Nb-rich particles. The ambient temperature microstructures of all steels consisted predominantly of polygonal ferrite with a small amount of granular bainite. Precipitation of Nb-and Mo-containing carbonitrides (\u3e20 nm size) was observed in the MoNbV and NbV steels, whereas only coarser (~40 nm) iron carbides were present in the High V steel. Finer grain size and larger granular bainite fraction resulted in a higher hardness of MoNbV steel (293 HV) compared to the NbV (265 HV) and High V (285 HV) steels

Effect of chemical composition on microstructure, strength and wear resistance of wire deposited Ni-Cu alloys

Two Ni-Cu alloys (Monel K500 and FM 60) having various Mn, Fe, Al, Ti and C contents were deposited on a Monel K500 plate at three different speeds using wire arc additive manufacturing technique. Microstructure characterisation, in particular a detailed study of precipitates, was carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical properties were assessed using hardness, tensile and wear testing. For similar deposition conditions, Monel K500 has exhibited smaller secondary dendrite arm spacing and higher number density of Ti-rich particles, although the Ti concentration in FM 60 was higher. Finer microstructure and Ti precipitation led to superior hardness, tensile and wear resistance of Monel K500 compared to FM 60. The variation in microstructure-properties relationship with alloy composition is discussed

Effect of niobium clustering and precipitation on strength of a NbTi-microalloyed ferritic steel

The microstructure-property relationship of an NbTi-microalloyed ferritic steel was studied as a function of thermo-mechanical schedule using Gleeble 3500 simulator, optical and scanning electron microscope, and atom probe tomography