循环载荷下考虑累积塑性影响的含中心穿透裂纹板CTOD研究

裂纹尖端张开位移(CTOD)是评估结构材料韧性以及分析低周疲劳破坏引起的裂纹扩展的重要参量。结合Dugdale模型,以裂纹尖端累积塑性应变为控制参量,提出了一个循环载荷下含裂纹船体板的CTOD计算模型;利用有限元法模拟了裂纹尖端累积塑性应变、平均应力、裂纹长度等相关因素影响;结合最小二乘法拟合出了基于累积塑性塑性应变、平均应力比以及裂纹长度的两阶多项式。研究表明,基于累积塑性应变的CTOD计算模型为正确评估循环载荷下船体板的累积塑性破坏提供了一种新途径。     

Brittle failure caused by lamellar splitting in a large-scale tubular joint with fatigue cracks

This paper reports a new incidence of brittle failure by lamellar splitting in a large-scale tubular X-joint and examines the possible causes of this failure. The X-joint, with multiple pre-existing fatigue cracks at the weld toe along the brace-to-chord intersection, experiences brittle failure during a monotonic in-plane bending test. Post-test sectioning of the material around the brace-to-chord intersection reveals lamellar splitting in the mid-thickness of the chord wall instead of rapid extensions of the fatigue cracks in the through-thickness direction. The lamellar splitting observed in this test differs from the conventional lamellar tearing both in its appearance and in its causes. The elongated nonmetallic inclusions concentrated at the mid-thickness, as revealed by the microscopic scanning, leads to delamination cracking near the mid-thickness and subsequently to the brittle failure of the joint. The material requirements in prevailing engineering codes do not suffice to prohibit the lamellar splitting failure observed in this study, which may cause catastrophic failures in engineering structures designed with insufficient redundancy.     

Structural behavior and design of high-strength steel welded tubular connections under extreme loading

The present work is motivated by the increasing need for cost-efficient solutions in offshore structural systems for wind energy production and for improvement of their structural performance. The structural behavior and design of high-strength steel welded tubular connections (yield strength higher than 700 MPa) subjected to monotonic and strong cyclic loading is investigated. In the first part of the paper, an experimental investigation is presented on high-strength steel tubular X-joints subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading far beyond the elastic limit of the material, leading to weld fracture. Two grades of weld metal material are employed in the welding process of the specimens. The experimental results indicate that the weld material grade has a significant influence on the deformation capacity of the welded connection under monotonic loading conditions, and its low-cycle fatigue life. The experimental procedure is simulated using advanced finite element models, elucidating several features of joint behavior and complementing the experimental results. Overall, a good agreement is found between numerical simulations and experimental results, in terms of both global response and local strains at the vicinity of the welds. Furthermore, the structural performance of the welded tubular joints under consideration is assessed using available design methodologies in terms of both ultimate strength and low-cycle fatigue resistance, in an attempt to validate an efficient design methodology for low-cycle fatigue. The results from this research effort are aimed at developing the necessary background for the possible use of high-strength steel in tubular steel lattice structures, particularly in offshore platforms for renewable energy production. They can also be used as a basis for the possible amendment of relevant design specifications and recommendations for including special provisions for high-strength steel structural systems.     

Fatigue resistance of welded steel tubular X-joints

High-cycle fatigue experiments are performed on welded tubular steel X-joints, with braces and chord of equal diameter. They are scaled-down joints, used extensively in offshore wind platforms. Three different welding procedures are considered in specimen fabrication: manual, fully-automatic and manual with HFMI post-weld treatment. Τwo possible locations for crack initiation were identified: chord “crown” and “in-between location”, also verified by numerical calculations and fractography of failed specimens. Monotonic loading tests on fatigue-cracked specimens showed good performance in terms of ultimate strength and deformation capacity, despite the presence of through-thickness cracks. The results are compared with predictions from relevant design standards.     

疲劳载荷作用下焊接点三维线弹性弯曲裂纹路径预测

利用二阶摄动方法研究了疲劳载荷作用下结构线弹性裂纹的弯曲扩展问题并求解了三维动态应力强度因子.利用二阶摄动方法研究了疲劳载荷作用下裂纹路径预测时的应力准则与能量准则之间的关系.就均匀物质而言,在二阶摄动分析理论的框架内,两种准则指明了相同的三维疲劳弯曲裂纹扩展路径.但在具有非均匀断裂韧度的物质中,能量准则优越于应力准则.作为二阶摄动方法的实际运用,研究了焊接结构中疲劳线弹性裂纹的形态特征和弯曲扩展路径问题,综合考虑了诸如远场动态作用应力、焊接残余应力、局部物质衰变以及不同尺寸的缺陷的存在等因素,绘制出疲劳载荷作用下退化区域中裂纹弯曲扩展的临界轨迹曲线.     

A ductile tearing assessment diagram for cracked circular-hollow-section joints under reversed loadings

This paper proposes a ductile tearing assessment diagram (TAD) to predict the load resistance to the crack extension relationship during the stable tearing process of the circular-hollow-section (CHS) joints under the reversed in-plane bending actions. The tearing assessment diagram utilizes the envelope of the load-deformation curve from the fracture test under reversed loadings to build the connection among the fracture resistance, load resistance and crack extension. To verify the proposed approach, this study performs fracture experiments, imposing the reversed in-plane bending on the CHS X-joints, made of Q345 steel, with a surface crack near the weld toe. The experimental investigation reveals the effect of the reversed loading on the fracture resistance and validates the TAD-based assessment for tubular joints. Meanwhile, this study performs the cyclic fracture test on the single-edge-notched-tension [SE(T)] specimen made of Q345 steel and derives the TAD from the experimental record of the SE(T) specimen. The specimen-based assessment successfully predicts the load versus crack extension relation for the reported joints under reversed loadings. The study provides a basic framework to predict the joint response under reversed loadings by integrating the material fracture characteristics.     

钛合金疲劳裂纹扩展速率试验及预报方法

本文针对深海载人潜水器耐压壳用钛合金,开展疲劳性能试验研究,得到该类型钛合金的室温断裂韧性,载荷比R=0.1下的疲劳裂纹扩展门槛值及疲劳裂纹扩展速率,基于选用的疲劳裂纹扩展预报模型,对载荷比R=0.1下的钛合金疲劳裂纹扩展行为进行了预报研究。结果表明:在载荷比不变的前提下,应力强度因子范围是疲劳裂纹扩展速率的主要影响因素,应力强度因子范围的增加会导致疲劳裂纹扩展速率增加;考虑小裂纹效应的疲劳裂纹扩展预报模型可对钛合金的疲劳裂纹扩展行为进行准确预报。     

Fracture control of extremely thick welded steel plates applied to the deck structure of large container ships

The rapid enlargement of the size of container ships has led to the application of extremely thick plate in the deck structures, which may grow concerns about the fracture toughness at the butt-weld with large amount of heat input, and the arrest toughness of brittle crack propagation in the base metal of such thick plates. Also, slam-induced whipping stresses might affect the fatigue crack propagation and the initiation of a brittle crack in a container ship. In order to prevent the catastrophic failure of deck structures by brittle fracture, national joint research projects, which focused on the safety-related issues of extremely thick steel plate applied to hull of large container ships, were formed from April 2007 to March 2011 organized by the Japan Ship Technology Research Association (JSTRA) supported by the Japanese Government in collaboration with universities, national research institute, classification societies and relevant industries including shipbuilding, steel manufacturing and shipping companies. The joint research projects have carried out the investigations on crack initiation toughness of the weld, fatigue crack propagation under seaway loading, the potential of defect detection by ultrasonic testing, and the crack-arrest methods after brittle crack propagation. Practical recommendations to prevent brittle fracture of large container ships were proposed based on these comprehensive investigations. The essential parts of the above research activities are presented in this paper.     

耐压船体结构典型接点疲劳寿命评估

潜艇在潜浮过程中,由于静水外压引起的工作应力与焊接残余应力叠加,形成拉压循环应力,导致耐压船体的局部结构可能出现低周疲劳裂纹.一般情况下,高强度钢在抗拉强度提高的同时往往伴随着材料塑性储备和断裂韧性的下降,因此分析高强度钢潜艇结构的低周疲劳寿命非常重要.本文基于断裂力学和Paris公式建立了潜艇耐压结构低周疲劳寿命的工程估算方法,根据裂纹无损检测的概率统计和含裂纹圆柱壳极限应力分析,给出了初始裂纹和裂纹临界状态的建议值.应用本文的简化方法分析了某潜艇结构和锥柱结合壳模型的低周疲劳寿命,锥柱结合壳模型的数值算例表明本文的计算结果与试验测试结果相吻合.     

Multi-scale modeling of fatigue crack propagation applied to random sequence of clustered loading

Fatigue crack propagation in marine structures is obviously governed by mechanics of the considerably different four levels of multi-scale problems. Problems of structural response to environmental loads have length scale of several hundred meters, whereas possible detectable size of cracks from initial defects in a weld is of the order of millimeters. Once a fatigue crack initiates, crack tip plasticity is of the order of several grain sizes, while the resulting fatigue crack growth in each load cycle is of the order of nanometers. In our previous work, the first author and their associates have developed the so-called CP-System, which can treat the first two multi-level problems as an integrated system. Furthermore, we have incorporated the third level of mechanics by using the stress intensity range corresponding to the repeated tensile plastic deformation ahead of the crack tip. In the present paper, we shall discuss a more rational integral equation-based formulation in order to integrate the third and fourth levels of micro-mechanics to the first two levels of continuum mechanics.The method is then applied to fatigue crack propagation under the effects of random sequence of clustered loading. As an example of the random sequence of clustered load, we shall use the so-called “storm model”. In the crack propagation simulation, we have to take into account of the plastic wake on the crack surfaces, whose thicknesses are influenced by the material parameters involved in the crack growth model. These parameters are first identified by the fatigue tests under combined constant and random loading using a CT specimen. Then, fatigue crack growth is investigated by numerical simulation and fatigue tests for various random sequences of clustered loading. The experimental and numerical results agree quite well with each other, and fatigue crack propagation is found to be considerably retarded under random sequence loading, so that the conventional equivalent stress approach may provide rather conservative results to the real seaway loading.     

船舶焊接钛合金拉伸疲劳断裂机理的研究

通过对TC4钛合金焊接试样拉伸疲劳断裂试验结果及其断口和卸载表面观察分析,发现试样断口上有明显的河流花纹走向和起裂源,并伴有韧窝和韧性条带特征。起裂源常位于断口表面角落附近。其断裂机理是疲劳拉伸载荷作用下,在应力值比较高的时候一些沿层裂纹开始出现并扩展,当疲劳裂纹的长度达到与疲劳外加力所匹配的临界裂纹长度时,突然发生准解理断裂。试样断口呈现出准解理与韧窝断裂的混合特征。     

低周疲劳载荷下考虑累积塑性的船舶裂纹板剩余极限强度研究

研究表明在恶劣海洋环境中船体结构整体断裂破坏往往是低周疲劳破坏和累积塑性破坏的耦合结果。考虑这两者耦合作用的影响,评估船体结构的极限承载力更为实际。基于累积塑性和低周疲劳裂纹扩展,从理论上分析了平面内低周疲劳载荷下裂纹板的残余极限强度。经过一系列数值模拟,首先讨论低周疲劳裂纹扩展行为的影响,然后随着疲劳裂纹扩展的发展,主要讨论了初始变形,焊接残余应力,裂纹扩展长度,裂纹分布和裂纹板厚度对低周疲劳载荷下船体裂纹板极限强度的影响。     

循环载荷下考虑累积塑性影响的船体板CTOD理论及数值模拟研究

裂纹尖端张开位移(CTOD)是研究大范围屈服的低周疲劳破坏的重要参数之一,其值可反映结构材料抵抗低周疲劳裂纹形成和扩展的能力,是评估结构材料韧性的重要参量以及分析低周疲劳破坏引起裂纹扩展的主要控制参量。文章基于弹塑性断裂力学理论,从循环J积分着手,以裂纹尖端累积塑性应变为重要参量,建立循环载荷下船体板CTOD理论模型,并在有限元模拟中分析了应力比、应力幅等相关因素影响。将本模型结果与有限元计算结果进行了比较,发现结果吻合良好。结果表明：在考虑累积塑性影响下,该模型能较好地反映在循环载荷下船体板CTOD的变化规律,同时也为正确评估循环载荷下船体板低周疲劳破坏与累积塑性破坏两种破坏模式耦合作用的总体断裂破坏提供了途径。     

Cyclic behavior and strain energy-based fatigue damage analysis of mooring chains high strength steel

This study investigates the low-cycle fatigue behavior of mooring chains high-strength steel grade R4 under different strain amplitudes and strain ratios at room temperature. A fatigue test program has been carried out on small low cycle fatigue specimens cut from large mooring chains. The experimental results characterize the cyclic stress-strain relationship, the mean stress relaxation behavior, and the cyclic plasticity parameters of the material. Strain energy density is correlated with fatigue life through a simple power-law expression and very well represented by Basquin-Coffin-Mansion relationship. Further, a non-linear elastic-plastic material model is calibrated to the experimental stress-strain curves and used for the estimation of energy dissipation in the specimens under applied cyclic loads. The predicted fatigue life using the calibrated material parameters demonstrates a close agreement with the experimental fatigue life. Numerical simulations are carried out to analyze local plastic straining and assess crack initiation at the pit site of corroded mooring chains considering the multiaxial stress state. An energy-based approach is employed to estimate the number of cycles needed for a crack to initiate from an existing corrosion pit.     

船体结构表面裂缝在应力腐蚀耦合作用下的扩展机理数值研究

用数值方法研究了船体表面微裂缝在海水腐蚀以及外荷载耦合作用下扩展的机理.实验表明,在给定材料和腐蚀环境的条件下,外荷载越小,微裂缝扩展并最终导致材料断裂破坏过程越长;但当荷载小于某个值(门槛值或称疲劳极限)时,这种延迟的腐蚀断裂破坏现象可以避免.为研究方便,文中假设了在腐蚀环境中工作的材料为各向同性材料.根据数值计算结果,共发现了三种可能的裂缝扩展形式,并证实了导致腐蚀疲劳断裂临界条件的存在性.最后通过计算,针对不同材料以及不同环境条件,勾勒出导致腐蚀疲劳断裂相应的临界条件曲线.     

Numerical simulation of level ice impact on landing craft bow considering the transverse isotropy of Baltic Sea ice based on XFEM

Ice bending is a major failure mechanism of level ice when ships and marine structures interact with level ice. This paper aims to investigate the ice bending and ice load when level ice collides on ships and marine structures using numerical simulation method, and compare the numerical results with field test. The fracture of ice is simulated with extended finite element method (XFEM), and cohesive zone concept is used to describe the crack propagation. In order to consider the characteristics of S2 columnar ice, a transversely isotropic elastic material model is used for the ice bulk elements, and a transversely isotropic Tsai-Wu failure criterion is adopted to predict the initiation of cracks. A well-controlled field test of a landing craft bow colliding with level ice in Baltic Sea is simulated to verify the numerical scheme. The ice plate's continuous deformation, crack initiation and crack propagation at different impact velocities and angles are simulated and the results are discussed. In the simulation, the bending crack emerges at the midline of the top surface of ice plate, then propagates towards free boundary, and finally a circumferential crack forms. It is found that with the impact velocity increases, the bending load increases and the fracture size (perpendicular distance from the crack to the contact edge) decreases. And as the angle between the landing craft bow and vertical direction increases, the bending load and the fracture size decrease. The simulated results corresponds well with the field test. The competition between the circumferential crack and radial crack is also found in the simulation and will be discussed in this paper. The results show that this method well simulates the bending of level ice and predict the ice load, and provides a good approach for investigating the mechanism of different forms of level ice fracture.     

基于累积递增塑性变形的船体裂纹板断裂韧性研究

裂纹尖端张开位移（CTOD）是评估结构材料韧性以及分析低周疲劳破坏引起的裂纹扩展的重要参量。文章结合Dugdale模型,以裂纹尖端累积塑性应变为控制参量,提出了一个循环载荷下含裂纹船体板的CTOD计算模型;利用有限元法模拟了裂纹尖端累积塑性应变、平均应力、裂纹长度等相关因素影响;结合最小二乘法拟合出了基于累积塑性应变、平均应力比以及裂纹长度的两阶多项式。文中基于累积塑性应变的CTOD计算模型为正确评估循环载荷下船体板的累积塑性破坏提供了一种新途径。     

Numerical simulation of fatigue crack propagation under superimposed stress histories containing different frequency components with several mean stress conditions

Fatigue crack propagation behavior under superimposed stress histories containing different frequency components with several mean stress conditions was investigated. Numerical simulation of fatigue crack propagation based on an advanced fracture mechanics approach using the RPG (Re-tensile Plastic zone Generating) stress criterion for fatigue crack propagation was improved to extract the effective part from the applied stress history for fatigue crack propagation. The parameter, which is based on the plastic hysteresis energy consumed in the vicinity of a crack tip, was applied and implemented into the numerical simulation code of fatigue crack propagation. Fatigue crack propagation tests under various superimposed stress conditions with several mean stress conditions were performed and compared with the fatigue crack propagation histories obtained from the improved numerical simulations. These comparisons show the validity of the proposed procedure for extracting the effective stress history from the superimposed stress histories with different frequency components and mean stresses. Additionally, practical fatigue strength evaluations based on the linear cumulative fatigue damage parameter were conducted to investigate the tendency of the fatigue damage value under these stress conditions.     

弯曲载荷下复合材料夹芯"L"型接头强度和疲劳试验研究

文章研究了复合材料夹芯"L"型接头在弯曲载荷下的静强度和疲劳问题.通过静加载试验,得到该接头的极限承载能力和破坏模式.在此基础上,对不同载荷水平下的试件进行疲劳试验.基于试验数据建立S-N曲线,比较了半对数线性拟合和"S"型函数拟合结果.结果表明,"S"型曲线的预测结果好于半对数线性拟合.同时,分析了疲劳载荷下的接头破坏模式,包括夹芯和面板之间脱粘、面板分层和纤维断裂.根据试验现象划分了表明裂纹扩展的3个阶段.建立了刚度退化模型表现不同载荷水平下刚度退化规律.     

Numerical simulation of fatigue crack propagation under biaxial tensile loadings with phase differences

Fatigue crack propagation under the biaxial tensile loading, which loading directions are normal and parallel to the initial crack position, is highlighted in this study. Most of in-service structures and vessels are subjected to many types of loading. Generally, these loadings have different axial components with different phases. However, the structural integrities of structures and vessels are evaluated according to design codes based on theoretical and experimental investigations under a uniaxial loading condition. Most of these codes are based on the S–N curves approach. An approach that does not use S–N curves has been favored by researchers, with the fracture mechanics approach preferred for evaluating the fatigue life of structures. An advanced fracture mechanics approach was developed based on the Re-tensile Plastic zone Generating (RPG) stress criterion for fatigue crack propagation. In this study, fatigue crack propagation tests under biaxial loading with six different phase and loading conditions are performed and the effect of the phase difference under biaxial loading is evaluated. A numerical simulation method of fatigue crack propagation based on the RPG stress criterion under different biaxial loading phase conditions is presented and compared to measured data.