{"title":"Impact Toughness and Fatigue Crack Propagation in Carbide-Free Bainite: The Adverse Role of Retained Austenite and Martensite-Austenite Islands","authors":"Oguz Gulbay, Alexander Gramlich, Ulrich Krupp","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70025","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The deformation behavior of carbide-bearing bainite (CBB) and carbide-free bainite (CFB) under various loading conditions is investigated. Retained austenite (RA) in CFB enhances strength and ductility only under uniaxial tension through gradual strain-induced martensitic transformation, yet deteriorates impact toughness and fatigue crack resistance. CBB, however, shows superior impact toughness and stronger resistance to crack propagation with effective fatigue crack deflection at prior austenite grain boundaries (PAGB). Martensite-austenite (MA) islands and unstable austenitic constituents induce intergranular fracture in CFB by forming a brittle network along the PAGBs when combined with localized deformation. Furthermore, weakened PAGBs fail to provide an effective barrier against transgranular fracture. In this case, rapid PAG debonding through MA islands leads to cleavage fracture in Charpy tests, whereas ductile fracture occurs in crack propagation tests. These results highlight the need to carefully design CFB microstructures, particularly RA, to achieve optimal mechanical performance for specific applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4217-4227"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ffe.70025","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145013056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Stiffness Degradation Model for FRP Laminates Under Biaxial Fatigue Loading","authors":"Zelin Zha, Chao Zhang, Fuqiang Wu, Chongcong Tao, Jinhao Qiu, Weixing Yao","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A stiffness degradation model for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates under biaxial fatigue loading is presented in this paper. The degradation of biaxial stiffness in the FRP laminate due to matrix cracking is computed using a mesoscopic matrix crack damage model, and these results constitute the “Damage domain.” Subsequently, a new stiffness degradation model, termed the “Damage searching algorithm,” is applied within the “Damage domain” to forecast biaxial stiffness degradation in tandem with the damage evolution process. The model's validity is confirmed through a comparison of predictions with the combined tension-torsion fatigue test results of tube specimens. The findings demonstrate that the predicted axial and torsional stiffness degradation align well with experimental results. Furthermore, the projected matrix crack density evolution corresponds closely to the observation in the experiment, further affirming the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed model.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4202-4216"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145012698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xing Yang, Yi Li, Panpan Wu, Bolun Li, Zhonghong Dong
{"title":"A Fatigue Performance Analysis Framework for Evaluating Fatigue Behavior in Metallic Materials: From Notch Fatigue to Crack Propagation","authors":"Xing Yang, Yi Li, Panpan Wu, Bolun Li, Zhonghong Dong","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Critical engineering components inevitably develop various types of notches during the design and production process. A comprehensive assessment of notch fatigue using an appropriate fatigue analysis framework is crucial for the structural integrity, operational reliability, and antifatigue design of critical components. In this study, by combining plasticity reformulated of critical distance, Atzori–Lazzarin diagram, and the cyclic R-curve, a new fatigue analysis framework including notch fatigue to crack propagation is elaborated. In the first part of the framework, an explicit notch fatigue model is proposed to describe notch geometry and microstructure effects. In the second part, a new cyclic R-curve equation without data-fitting parameters is established and extends it to fatigue crack growth (FCG) prediction. Experimental data from eight metallic materials are used to validate the proposed models, and the results demonstrate the framework's generality and accuracy.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4180-4201"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145012872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Study About the Evolution of 3D Crack Tunneling and the Corresponding Cohesive Zone Relations","authors":"Giancarlo A. Machado, Eduardo Bittencourt","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70021","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fracture properties in 3D crack propagation can change drastically because of the changes in stress triaxiality when fracture is accompanied by significant plasticity. The Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman constitutive behavior is introduced in this work into properties of a cohesive zone model (CZM). Cohesive strength and fracture energy are considered impacted by triaxiality. The shape functions of the cohesive relation are also considered here a function of the stress triaxiality, which is a novelty introduced in this work. Comparison with experiments is done considering a compact tension test of a 7150-T651 aluminum, taken from the literature. This work demonstrates that tunneling of the crack front and rupture loading depend on the CZM shape functions. Correct evolution of these functions with propagation and along the thickness of the specimen is naturally captured by formulation. Finally, the present work demonstrates initial volume of porosity/second phases and the critical coalescence volume change tunneling and cohesive relations substantially.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4161-4179"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145011996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fatigue Crack Growth Modeling: Effect of the Stress State on Fatigue Enhanced by Microvoid Damage","authors":"E. R. Sérgio, F. V. Antunes, D. M. Neto","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this work, the plastic work computed at the crack tip was used in a node release criterion to predict fatigue crack growth (FCG) in an AA6082-T6 alloy. Distinct finite elements and boundary conditions were employed to achieve different stress states in the specimen. The numerical model was employed to predict the FCG rates in both constant and variable amplitude loadings. The obtained results show that the models considering both plane strain and plane stress states provide reasonable predictions of the experimental data, both in terms of the slope of <i>da/dN-</i>\u0000 <span></span><math>\u0000 <mi>ΔK</mi></math> curves and the transient behavior induced by overloads. The 3D model with plane stress conditions can simulate the intermediate stress state that shall occur in the physical specimen. The best predictions, both in constant and variable amplitude loading conditions, were obtained with this 3D model. Nevertheless, the higher FCG obtained with the increase in the specimen's thickness could not be observed with the employed numerical models. This trend should be related to more complex interactions between the surface and the interior regions of the crack tip that can only be captured with more complex 3D models that describe the entire thickness of the specimens.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4486-4504"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145012590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthias Lauf, Stefan Pruy, Christian Hollmann, Peter Hantschke, Markus Kästner
{"title":"Influences on the Fatigue Strength of Laser-Welded High-Purity Copper Connections","authors":"Matthias Lauf, Stefan Pruy, Christian Hollmann, Peter Hantschke, Markus Kästner","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Due to their excellent conducting properties, components made of high-purity copper are increasingly being used in the field of electrified applications. In particular for components with welded joints made of high-purity copper, there is still no computational basis for evaluating the fatigue strength of these joints. With the help of extensive fatigue tests, the influence of the local welding geometry and the locally modified microstructure on the fatigue strength of these connections is therefore investigated. In addition, a structured procedure to separate the influences of the local geometry and the local microstructure on the fatigue strength from each other is presented, and the results are shown in a comparative way in one figure. The investigations show that the influence of the local geometry on the fatigue strength is dominant compared to the one of the microstructure. However, consideration of the local geometrical and metallurgical notches is recommended for the future development of a general fatigue life calculation for welded high-purity copper joints.</p>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4148-4160"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ffe.70024","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145012485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kun Wang, Guhui Gao, Xiaolu Gui, Jianyi Ma, Lijuan Zhu, Chun Feng
{"title":"Unraveling the Effect of Retained Austenite on the Very High Cycle Fatigue Crack Initiation Mechanism of Carbide-Free Bainitic Steel","authors":"Kun Wang, Guhui Gao, Xiaolu Gui, Jianyi Ma, Lijuan Zhu, Chun Feng","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70023","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The very high cycle fatigue behaviors of a carbide-free bainitic steel were investigated to unravel the mechanisms of two types of non-inclusion induced crack initiation characteristic areas with different morphologies and to explore the role of retained austenite. Results show that in preferentially oriented conditions, the dislocation slips are difficult to activate in the inter-lath nanometer-sized retained austenite. Consequently, the fatigue crack initiates from coarse bainitic ferrite lath with preferred orientation and high Schmid factor, resulting in the formation of inclined micro-facet within the crack initiation characteristic area, which is dominated by mode II cracking. However, for the submicron-sized retained austenite and the non-preferentially orientated bainitic ferrite, dislocation slips preferentially occur along their phase interfaces and impinge into the prior austenite grain boundaries, resulting in the generation of extrusions at grain boundaries and the final intergranular crack initiation. In this situation, the formation of micro-facet still takes place but may be controlled by mode I cracking. These findings provide new insights into the relationship between microstructural features and cyclic loading that could lead to different mechanisms of non-inclusion induced crack initiation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4134-4147"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145012585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qianzheng Lei, Shuxin Li, Jinhua Chen, Guobiao Wang
{"title":"Modeling Martensitic Phase Transformation of Retained Austenite Under Rolling Contact Fatigue","authors":"Qianzheng Lei, Shuxin Li, Jinhua Chen, Guobiao Wang","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Retained austenite (RA) undergoes strain-induced martensitic transformation under rolling contact fatigue (RCF), which significantly influences the material's fatigue properties. This study investigates the transformation of RA into martensite under RCF loading using a crystal plasticity model coupled with martensitic transformation theory. To examine the effect of RA content on transformation behavior, materials with three different RA levels (5%, 15%, and 23%) were tested and simulated. The results indicate that martensite transformation initiates in the subsurface region, approximately 60 μm beneath the surface, and progresses rapidly during the early stages of cyclic loading. The martensite transformation is closely associated with active dislocation activity. The transformation rate strongly depends on the initial RA content, with higher RA levels leading to faster and deeper transformation. A strain threshold is identified, beyond which the transformation rate stabilizes and eventually saturates. Additionally, crystal orientation significantly influences martensitic transformation, with certain grain orientations being more susceptible to phase change. The simulation results clearly capture the evolution of martensitic transformation and show strong agreement with experimental observations.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4119-4133"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145012243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Influence of NiCrAlY Content in TiC-Based Self-Healing Coating and Laser Remelting on Creep–Fatigue and Remnant Properties of 321 Stainless Steel","authors":"Wei Li, Houjun Qin, Guowei Bo, Cong Li, Shunpeng Zhu, Dapeng Jiang, Hui Chen, Xi Li, Jian Chen","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The remnant creep and tensile properties of AISI 321 steels after creep–fatigue exposure are crucial to their remnant service life. Therefore, based on our recently reported plasma-sprayed TiC-based self-healing coating, an improved self-healing coating consisting of a NiCrAlY layer, a TiC–50-wt.% NiCrAlY layer, and an Al₂O₃–13% TiO₂ (AT13)–25-wt.% NiCrAlY layer was designed and prepared for AISI 321 steel by plasma spraying and further laser remelting treatment. The results indicated that such laser remelting self-healing coatings could further simultaneously improve the creep–fatigue resistance and remnant creep/tensile properties compared with the counterpart plasma-sprayed self-healing coating. This improvement is attributed to enhanced interlayer bonding, reduced porosity, and the introduction of dislocations due to thermal stresses during laser remelting treatment. Furthermore, the initial hardening observed during creep–fatigue exposure is due to dislocation strengthening, twin strengthening, and carbide strengthening, while the subsequent softening occurred due to dynamic recovery and coarsening of carbides as well as twin degradation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4089-4104"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145013275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Riccardo Cappello, José Eugénio Semedo Garção, Giuseppe Catalanotti, Giuseppe Pitarresi
{"title":"On the Identification of Dissipative Phenomena in Fatigue-Loaded 2024 Aluminum by Means of Second Harmonic of Temperature Analysis","authors":"Riccardo Cappello, José Eugénio Semedo Garção, Giuseppe Catalanotti, Giuseppe Pitarresi","doi":"10.1111/ffe.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study explores the use of temperature harmonics to detect intrinsic dissipation during cyclic loading in aluminum alloys. Under sinusoidal loading, the temperature of a solid is modulated by thermomechanical heat sources. The primary source is the thermoelastic effect, which modulates the temperature at the load frequency and twice the load frequency (second harmonic). Thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) signal processing is employed to extract the temperature harmonics and analyze their evolution when the stress amplitude increases. The detected second harmonic comprises three main contributions: a thermoelastic component, predicted by the second-order thermoelastic effect theory, a spurious contribution due to load components at twice the nominal frequency, and a dissipative second harmonic. The main aim of this work is to separate the thermoelastic and spurious contributions from the measured second harmonic to isolate and capture dissipation. AL 2024 alloy samples, which exhibits strong second-order thermoelastic response, are employed in the investigation. Aluminum has already been reported as a material where thermomechanical dissipation is difficult to quantify, or even qualitatively observe, with other more traditional thermographic methods. The results show interesting features of the second-harmonic decoupled components, providing insight into intrinsic dissipation of aluminum alloys under fatigue-loading conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12298,"journal":{"name":"Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures","volume":"48 10","pages":"4105-4118"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ffe.70007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145013276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}