• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2002

The development of a new experimental method is required to easily observe the growth behavior of fatigue cracks. To satisfy the requirement, an image processing technique was introduced to fatigue testing. The length of surface fatigue crack could be successfully measured by the image processing system. At first, the image data of cracks were stored into the computer while the cyclic loading was interrupted. After testing, crack length was determined using an image processing software which was developed by authors. Various image processing techniques like a block matching method was applied tc the detection of surface fatigue cracks. By comparing the data measured by the image processing system with those by the manual measurement with a microscope, the effectiveness of the image processing system was established. If the proposed method is used to monitor and observe the crack growth behavior automatically, the time and efforts for fatigue test could be dramatically reduced.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.877-885
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• 1997

The dependence of strength, crack growth, fracture mode and degree of domain rearrangement of PZT ceramics on poling strength were studied. The PZT [(Pb0.94Sr0.06)(Zr0.46Ti0.54)O3+Nb(trace)] specimens were poled at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 kv/mm, and the strength of the specimens was measured by 3 point flexure system. The bending strength of the specimen decreased in different modes according to the bending directions; xz, zx and yz plane direction with x axis of the poling direction in Cartesian coordinate system. The strength differences between the directions increased as the poling strength increased. The fracture mode transferred to intergranular fracture mode from transgranular one as the poling strength increased. The mechanical breakdown occurred when the poling strength higher than 3 kV/mm was applied to the specimen. It was observed that the crack length increased in the normal direction to the poling direction, however, decreased in the parallel direction to the poling direction when the poled PZT specimen was indented by the Vickers indenter. However, the crack produced by indentation continuously was continuously increased little by little after indentation on the specimen. The domain rearrangement occurred as the poling strength increased and the domains were rearranged more effectively when the electric field was continuously increased little by little.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.250-250
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• 1990

In this paper, fatigue tests were carried out at stress test levels of 461 MPa, 441 MPa, and 431 MPa by using smooth specimen of$2_{1/4}$ Cr-1 Mo steel with the stress ratio(R) of 0.05. The initiation, growth and coalescense process of the major cracks and sub-cracks among the fatigue cracks on the smooth specimen are investigated and measured under each stress level at a constant cycle ratio by the replica technique with optical microscope. Some of the important results are as follows: In spite of the difference of stress levels, the major crack data gather into a small band in the curve of surface crack length and crack depth against cycle ratio N/Nf. The sub-crack data, however, deviate from the band of the major crack. The growth rates, da/dN, of major and sub-crack plotted against the stress intensity factor range, ${\Delta}K$, have the tendency to be compressed on a relatively small band. But it is more effective to predict fatigue life through major cracks. The propagation behavior of surface microcracks on the smooth specimens coincides with that of the specimen having an artificial small surface defect or through crack.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.13-22
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• 2012

According to recent research on leak-rate estimates to assess rupture probabilities of nuclear piping which contains a circumferential surface/through-wall cracks due to PWSCC, i.e., xLPR (Extremely Low Probability of Rupture) program, it has been revealed that the use of crack shape with an idealized circumferential through-wall crack during actual crack growth can lead to overestimate of the leak-rate. Thus, for accurate estimation of the leak-rate during crack growth, the more realistic crack shape that can simulate the crack shape transition from surface crack to through-wall crack should be used. In this context, in the present study, the elastic crack opening displacement of slanted circumferential through-wall crack in thick-walled cylinder was proposed based on 3-dimensional elastic finite element fracture mechanics analyses. To propose the elastic crack opening displacement of slanted circumferential through-wall crack in thick-walled cylinder, the geometric variables affecting crack opening displacement, i.e., thickness of cylinder, reference inner crack length and slant crack ratio were systematically varied. In terms of loading conditions, axial tension, global bending moment and internal pressure were considered. The present results can be applied to calculate the leak-rate considering more realistic crack shape transition from surface crack to idealized through-wall crack, and can be expected to enhance current leak-rate estimation scheme, for instance, in xLPR program etc.

• Composites Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.9-17
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• 2003

In order to simulate the crack connection between cords and the interply crack growth in the belt-layer of real tire, 2 ply rubber/cord laminate specimens with exposed edges were tested in 4~11mm displacement control. Measurement of the crack connection is evaluated when crack reaches the half of the length between 45$^{\circ}$ aligned cords, and the amount of the crack growth is measured by the steel probe method. 2 dimensional analytic modeling was performed to simulate the crack connection between cords at the exposed edges. Also, the theoretical life of the specimens was calculated from the crack connection life between cords(critical value) and from the critical value to the final failure by the use of Tearing energy(T); the strain energy release per unit area of one fracture surface of a crack. Then, theoretical life was compared with those of experiments. The life prediction up to the critical value has about 20% error compared to experimental life, and up to the final failure about 65% error. Therefore, total theoretical life has about 45% error compared to the experimental life, which is conceivable in the case of rubber.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.43 no.4 s.148
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• pp.494-503
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• 2006

Inherent damage zone model is presented to explain the fatigue properties near the fatigue limit and the crack growth threshold consistently Inherent damage zone model assumes that the stress at a point which is located at a small distance, $r_0$, an inherent length of the material that represents the size of effective damage zone, from the crack initiation position governs the fatigue characteristics regardless of the geometric configuration of the specimen; smooth specimen, notched specimen or cracked specimens with short and long crack length. A special feature of the paper is using the exact stress distributions of notched and cracked specimens at the strength evaluations. Analytical elastic solutions by Neuber and Westergaard are employed for this purpose Relationship between fatigue limit of smooth specimen and threshold stress of cracked specimen, occurrence condition of non-propagating crack at the root of elliptic notch and circular hole and relationship between stress concentration factor and fatigue notch factor are discussed quantitatively based on the proposed model.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1746-1752
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• 2002

Fatigue fracture in machine components is produced by surface micro-crack from stress concentration area such as notch and material defect. It is difficult to predict the remaining fatigue lift of mechanical components because the surface micro-crack on critical area initiates and grows with statistical distribution. Plane bending fatigue tests were carried out on the plain specimen of Al 2024-T3 and the initiation and growth behavior of surface micro cracks were observed. The statistical distribution of surface length of multiple micro cracks and their maximum length were investigated. The maximum surface crack length distributions were analyzed on the basis of the statistics of extremes in order to examine the prediction of remaining life.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.1138-1147
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• 2018

Delayed hydride cracking (DHC) is an important failure mechanism for Zircaloy tubes in the demanding environment of nuclear reactors. The threshold stress intensity factor, $K_{IH}$, and critical hydride length, $l_C$, are important parameters to evaluate DHC. Theoretical models of them are developed for Zircaloy tubes undergoing non-homogenous temperature loading, with new stress distributions ahead of the crack tip and thermal stresses involved. A new stress distribution in the plastic zone ahead of the crack tip is proposed according to the fracture mechanics theory of second-order estimate of plastic zone size. The developed models with fewer fitting parameters are validated with the experimental results for $K_{IH}$ and $l_C$. The research results for radial cracking cases indicate that a better agreement for $K_{IH}$ can be achieved; the negative axial thermal stresses can lessen $K_{IH}$ and enlarge the critical hydride length, so its effect should be considered in the safety evaluation and constraint design for fuel rods; the critical hydride length $l_C$ changes slightly in a certain range of stress intensity factors, which interprets the phenomenon that the DHC velocity varies slowly in the steady crack growth stage. Besides, the sensitivity analysis of model parameters demonstrates that an increase in yield strength of zircaloy will result in a decrease in the critical hydride length $l_C$, and $K_{IH}$ will firstly decrease and then have a trend to increase with the yield strength of Zircaloy; higher fracture strength of hydrided zircaloy will lead to very high values of threshold stress intensity factor and critical hydride length at higher temperatures, which might be the main mechanism of crack arrest for some Zircaloy materials.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.11-17
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• 2016

Powder metallurgy nickel based superalloy has been used in a high temperature part of turbine engine for airplane. The fatigue crack growth behavior was investigated using CT specimens for the materials at room temperature(R.T.), $600^{\circ}C$ and $700^{\circ}C$. The direct current potential drop(DCPD) method suggested by ASTM E647 was used to measure the crack length during fatigue crack growth at various stress ratios. The fatigue crack growth rate at R=0.5 was faster than that at R=0.1 for all temperature conditions and increased with the increase of stress ratio and temperature. Fractography was conducted for analysis of fracture mechanism.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.11 no.1 s.38
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• pp.33-42
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• 1999

In the present study, crack initiation criteria, static failure and tensile mode fatigue behavior for a rail steel are evaluated to assure the railway vehicle's safety. The transverse fissure, which is the most critical damage in the rail, is initiated by the maximum shear stress and its location is subsurface. In addition, the possibility of transition from the shear mode to the mixed mode increases with increasing the length of subsurface crack. Because of the brittleness by the welding, the fracture toughness of the welded part is lower than of the base metal. For low ${\Delta}K$, the stage II fatigue crack growth rates of the welded part is slower than of the base metal but, for high ${\Delta}K$, this different behavior for fatigue crack growth rate is nearly diminished. These trends are more remarkable for low stress ratio, R=0.1. It is believed that this behavior is caused by the change of the microstructure which that of the welded part is coarser than of base metal.