low to high cycle fatigue properties of a niti shape memory alloy

Abstract Low-to-high cycle fatigue behavior of a pseudoelastic NiTi SMA was analyzed. The evolution of both global and local strain were captured during fatigue tests. Local strains were measured in-situ by the digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Significant differences were observed at the two scales, due to the localized nature of stress-induced transformations. Strain-life fatigue curves obtained from global and local strain measurements were compared. It was demonstrated that local phenomena play a very important role on the fatigue properties of pseudoelastic SMAs

Fatigue Crack Growth in Austenitic and Martensitic NiTi: Modeling and Experiments

AbstractFatigue crack growth of austenitic and martensitic NiTi shape memory alloys was analyzed, with the purpose of capturing the effects of distinct stress-induced transformation mechanics in the two crystal structures. Mode I crack growth experiments were carried out, and near-crack-tip displacements were captured by in-situ digital image correlation (DIC). A special fitting procedure, based on the William's solution, was used to estimate the effective stress intensity factor (SIF). The SIF was also computed by linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) as well as by a special analytical model that takes into account the unique thermomechanical response of SMAs. A significant difference in the crack growth rate for the two alloys was observed, and it has been attributed to dissimilar dissipative phenomena and different crack-tip stress–strain fields, as also directly observed by DIC. Finally, it was shown that the predictions of the analytical method are in good agreement with effective results obtained by DIC, whereas a very large mismatch was observed with LEFM. Therefore, the proposed analytical model can be actually used to analyze fatigue crack propagation in both martensitic and austenitic NiTi

Multi-Objective Optimization of a Vehicle Body by Combining Gradient-based Methods and Vehicle Concept Modelling

Abstract In the automotive field, size optimization procedures can be combined with concept modelling approaches, in order to design a vehicle Body-In-White (BIW) model with optimal static and dynamic performances already in the early design stages. However, this specific optimization problem, with hundreds of design variables, limited design space and often conflicting objectives, makes the choice of the appropriate optimization method really difficult. The aim of this paper is to show an industrial case study, where two different implementations of the classical gradient-based (GB) method are used in combination with a technique for vehicle body concept modelling to achieve a multi-objective BIW optimization of a passenger car

tribological properties of wear resistant coatings obtained by cold gas dynamic spray

Abstract The aim of this study was obtaining good deposits of stellite-6 by Cold Gas Dynamic Spray (CGDS), in terms of low porosity and good adhesion and cohesion. In fact, the high strength and melting point of the investigated alloy lead to a high value of the particle critical velocity in CGDS and, therefore, good quality results are difficult to achieve. The tribological properties of the coatings were analyzed by micro-hardness measurements and pin-on-disk wear tests. Results revealed that spraying parameters can be optimized to obtain almost pore-free coatings

Numerical modeling of fluid flow, heat, and mass transfer for similar and dissimilar laser welding of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718

AbstractMost of the researches published on the numerical modeling of laser welding are looking at similar welding, mainly due to the difficulty of simulating the mixing phenomenon that occurs in dissimilar welding. Furthermore, numerical modeling of dissimilar laser welding of titanium and nickel alloys has been rarely reported in the literature. In this study, a 3D finite volume numerical model is proposed to simulate fluid flow, heat, and mass transfer for similar and dissimilar laser welding of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718. The laser source was simulated by volumetric heat distribution, which considers the effects of keyhole and heat transfer on the workpiece. The heat source parameters were calibrated through preliminary experiments, by comparing the simulated and experimental weld pool shapes and dimensions. The model was used to simulate both homogenous and dissimilar laser weldings of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718, and a systematic comparison was carried out through a number of selected experiments. The effects of three distinct levels of laser power (1.25 kW, 1.5 kW, 2.5 kW) on temperature distribution and velocity field in the welds pool were analyzed. Results highlighted the effects of Marangoni forces in the weld pool formation. Furthermore, in order to analyze the mass transfer phenomenon in dissimilar welding, species transfer equations were considered, demonstrating the important role played by the mass mixture in the weld pool formation. Finally, a high level of agreement between simulations and experiments—in terms of weld pool shape and dimensions—was observed in all cases analyzed. This proves the ability of the proposed numerical model to properly simulate both the similar and dissimilar welding of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718 alloys

multiaxial fatigue behavior of additive manufactured ti 6al 4v under in phase stresses

Abstract The development and application of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies is constantly increasing. However, in many applications, AM parts are subjected to multiaxial loads, arising from operating conditions and/or complex geometries. These make AM components serious candidates for crack initiation and propagation mechanisms. Therefore, a deep understanding of the multiaxial fatigue behavior of AM parts is essential in many applications where durability and reliability are core issues. In this study, multiaxial fatigue of Ti6Al4V thin-walled tubular specimens, made by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process, was investigated by combined axial-torsional loads. Infrared thermography (IR) was also used to investigate the temperature evolution during fatigue tests. Results highlighted different damage mechanisms and failure modes in the low- and high-cycle fatigue regimes

Multiaxial fatigue behavior of additively manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy: Axial–torsional proportional loads

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques are under constant development and selective laser melting (SLM) is among the most promising ones. However, widespread use of AM techniques in many industries is limited by the different/unusual mechanical properties of AM metallic parts, with respect to traditionally processed ones, especially when dealing with complex fatigue loading conditions. In fact, crack formation and propagation mechanisms are mainly affected by the development of internal defects, residual stresses, and microstructural changes. This is actually one of the major issues the materials engineering community is facing today. In many applications, AM components are subjected to multiaxial fatigue loads, arising from operating conditions and/or from complex geometries, that unavoidably generate crack initiation and propagation mechanisms. The aim of this study is to investigate the multiaxial fatigue behavior of additively manufactured Ti6Al4V samples, made by SLM. Fatigue tests, combining proportional axial and torsional loads, were performed on thin-walled tubular specimens. Full-field measurement techniques, such as the infrared thermography and digital image correlation, were also used to capture temperature and strain evolutions, at both local scales and global scales. Fatigue results highlighted damage mechanisms, and failure modes are strongly related to the applied stress level

High-Resolution 3D Fabrication of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposite (FRPN) Objects by Two-Photon Direct Laser Writing

This paper reports on the nanofabrication of a fiber-reinforced polymer nanocomposite (FRPN) by two-photon direct laser writing (TP-DLW) using silica nanowires (SiO2 NWs) as nanofillers, since they feature a refractive index very close to that of the photoresist used as a polymeric matrix. This allows for the best resolution offered by the TP-DLW technique, even with high loads of SiO2 NWs, up to 70 wt %. The FRPN presented an increase of approximately 4 times in Young's modulus (8.23 GPa) and nanohardness (120 MPa) when compared to those of the bare photoresist, indicating how the proposed technique is well-suited for applications with higher structural requirements. Moreover, three different printing configurations can be implemented thanks to the use of silicon chips, on which the SiO2 NWs are grown, as fabrication substrates. First, they can be effectively used as an adhesive layer when the laser beam is focused at the interface with the silicon substrate. Second, they can be used as a sacrificial layer, when the laser beam is focused in a plane inside the SiO2 NW layer. Third, only the outer shell of the object is printed so that the SiO2 NW tangle acts as the internal skeleton for the structure being fabricated in the so-called shell and scaffold printing strategy

Fatigue assessment of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy laser welded joints in absence of filler material by means of full-field techniques

The aim of this research activity was to study the fatigue behavior of laser welded joints of titanium alloy, in which the welding was performed using a laser source and in the absence of filler material, by means of unconventional full field techniques: Digital Image Correlation (DIC), and Infrared Thermography (IRT). The DIC technique allowed evaluating the strain gradients around the welded zone. The IRT technique allowed analyzing the thermal evolution of the welded surface during all the fatigue tests. The fatigue limit estimated using the Thermographic Method corresponds with good approximation to the value obtained from the experimental fatigue tests. The obtained results provided useful information for the development of methods and models to predict the fatigue behavior of welded T-joints in titanium alloy