Karine Bavard

Abstract

High temperature behaviour and low cycle fatigue of spheroidal graphite cast iron

Karine Bavard - 10 june 2004

Spheroidal graphite cast iron are usually subject to severe and complex thermo-mechanical cycles in temperatures. Such loadings are at the origin of appearance of cracks and thus have a direct impact on the reliability of the part. The aim of this study was to get a better understanding monotone and cyclic mechanical behaviour of a classical spheroidal graphite cast iron used at LCF (exhaust manifold, glass bottle forming moulds).
Ambient tensile tests in-situ (MEB) showed a damage occurring by decohesion of the interface nodule/matrice and growth of vacuums. A heterogeneity of deformation on the scale of the clusters of nodules was shown by a bimodal extensometry (correlation of images). A mechanism of oxidation was proposed following observations of oxidation in-situ with the environmental SEM.
A sensitivity to dynamic strain ageing was highlighted 150°C at 400°C by instabilities of deformation in traction and opposite sensitivity strain rate in fatigue. In this temperature range, the material hardens. From 500°C, softening or cyclic stability was noticed, just as a quasi-viscous behaviour.
Several approaches (Manson-Coffin, Skelton and cumulated energy) were used in order to better exploit the results of lifetime. The existence of three fields was announced and corresponds to those already found at the time of the study of the monotonic behaviour (25°C-500°C, 600°C-700°C and 300°C). The fractographic analysis made it possible to note a dynamic brittleness with 300°C correspondent with a transition from propagation transgranulaire/intergranulaire.

Keywords:
Spheroidal graphite cast iron, low cycle fatigue, monotonic and cyclic behaviour, high temperature, lifetime, fractography, tensile test in-situ (MEB), bimodal extensometry, oxidation

Last modified: 11/23/2005 03:20 AM