Mechanics of Materials II

FATIGUE AND CREEP ME310

16th Dec, 2019
Reference Book: Dr. Sana Waheed
William D. Callister & David G. Rethwisch, Materials Science and
Engineering: An Introduction, 8th Ed., Chapter 8
FATIGUE
2
 FATIGUE
• Fatigue = failure under applied cyclic stress
-- can cause part failure, even though σmax < σy
-- responsible for ~ 90% of mechanical engineering failures

σ
• Stress varies with time. σ max
S
σm
σ min time

3
FATIGUE – KEYσPARAMETERS
𝜎𝑟
σ max 𝜎𝑎
σm
σ min time

𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛
Mean stress: 𝜎𝑚 =
2
Range of stress: 𝜎𝑟 = 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝜎𝑟
Stress amplitude: 𝜎𝑎 = 2
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥
Stress ratio: 𝑅= 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛
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 TYPES OF FATIGUE BEHAVIOR
S-N CURVES

S = stress amplitude
case for
unsafe steel (typ.)
• Fatigue limit, Sfat:
Sfat
--no fatigue if S < Sfat
safe

10 3 10 5 10 7 10 9
N = Cycles to failure

S = stress amplitude
• For some materials, case for
there is no fatigue unsafe Al (typ.)
limit!
Instead, fatigue life defined safe
as number of cycles to
failure at a given S 10 3 10 5 10 7 10 9
N = Cycles to failure 5
 RATE OF FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH
• Three distinct steps:
(1) crack initiation: small crack forms at some point of high stress
concentration;
(2) crack propagation: crack advances incrementally with each stress
cycle; and
(3) final failure: catastrophic failure once the advancing crack has
reached a critical size. crack origin

• Failed rotating shaft

-- crack grew even though Fig. 10.22, Callister &
Rethwisch 9e.
initially (From D. J. Wulpi,
Understanding How
Kmax < KIc Components Fail, 1985.
Reproduced by permission
of ASM International,
Materials Park, OH.)
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 RATE OF FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH

• Crack grows incrementally

typ. 1 to 6

increase in crack length per loading cycle

crack grows faster as

• Δσ increases
• crack gets longer
• loading freq. increases
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 IMPROVING FATIGUE LIFE

S = stress amplitude
1. Impose compressive
surface stresses
near zero or compressive σm
(to suppress surface moderate tensile σm
Larger tensile σm
cracks from growing)
N = Cycles to failure

--Method 1: shot peening --Method 2: carburizing

shot
C-rich gas
put
surface
into
compression

2. Remove stress bad better

concentrators
bad better 8
 A.

Which of these components

are likely to fail due to
fatigue failure?
B.
1 A and B

2 A and C
C.
3 B and C

4 All of them
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CREEP
10
 CREEP
Sample deformation at a constant stress (σ) vs. time
σ σ

0 t

Primary Creep: slope (creep rate)

decreases with time
Secondary Creep: steady-state
i.e., constant slope (Δ𝜀 /Δt)
Adapted from
Fig. 10.29, Callister &
Tertiary Creep: slope (creep rate) Rethwisch 9e.

increases with time, i.e. acceleration of rate 11

 CREEP: TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
• Occurs at elevated temperature, T > 0.4 Tm (in K)

Note, as temp. increased:

• the instantaneous strain at
the time of stress
tertiary
application increases,
• the steady-state creep rate
primary
secondary increases, and
• the rupture lifetime
elastic decreases.

Figs. 10.30, Callister &

Rethwisch 9e. 12
 SECONDARY CREEP
• Steady-state creep strain rate is constant at a given T, s
-- strain hardening is balanced by recovery
stress exponent (material parameter)

Steady-state activation energy for creep

strain rate (material parameter)
material const. applied stress
200 Adapted from
427℃
Stress (MPa)

Fig. 9.38, Callister &

100
• Creep strain rate 538℃
Rethwisch 4e.
[Reprinted with permission
from Metals Handbook:
increases 40 Properties and Selection:
Stainless Steels, Tool
with increasing 20 Materials, and Special
Purpose Metals, Vol. 3, 9th
649℃
T, σ 10
ed., D. Benjamin (Senior Ed.),
ASM International, 1980, p.
131.]

10 -2 10 -1 1
Steady state creep rate 𝜀 (%/1000hr) 13
 CREEP FAILURE
• Failure: along grain boundaries.

cavities
applied
stress

From V.J. Colangelo and F.A. Heiser, Analysis of Metallurgical Failures (2nd
ed.), Fig. 4.32, p. 87, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1987. (Orig. source:
Pergamon Press, Inc.)

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 SUMMARY
• Engineering materials not as strong as predicted by theory
• Flaws act as stress concentrators that cause failure at stresses
lower than theoretical values
• Sharp corners produce large stress concentrations and
premature failure
• Failure type depends on T and σ :
 For simple fracture (noncyclic σ and T < 0.4Tm), failure stress decreases with:
 increased maximum flaw size, decreased T, increased rate of loading
 For fatigue (cyclic σ):
 cycles to fail decreases as Δσ increases
 For creep (T > 0.4Tm):
 time to rupture decreases as σ or T increases
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