AISI 4140 alloy steel has been a very common material to be investigated in automotive and aerospace industries for several decades. AISI 4140 alloy steel is chromium, molybdenum, and manganese containing low alloy steel. It has high fatigue strength, abrasion and impact resistance, toughness, and torsional strength. The functional performance is largely determined by the surface states after machining. The aim of the present study is to explore the polishing methods and surface analysis after machining AISI 4140 alloy steel in different cutting speeds and cooling conditions. The surface analysis includes surface roughness, hardness and residual stresses. Compared to traditional polishing, an innovative experimental work was conducted on electro-polishing technology for removing surface layer before subsurface residual stress measurement. The results of this work show that the electro-polishing method is a significant approach for the residual stress analysis. High cutting speed and cooling conditions can improve the surface quality to achieve lower surface roughness, higher microhardness and more compressive residual stresses after machining AISI 4140 alloy steel.

Nanostructured metallic multilayers (NMMs) are well-known for their high strength in smaller bilayer thicknesses. Six Al/Ti (NMM) with different individual layer thickness were tested for their mechanical hardness using a nanoindentation tool. Individual layer thicknesses were chosen carefully to cover the whole confined layer slip (CLS) model. Nano-hardness had a reverse relation with the square root of individual layer thickness and reached a steady state at ~ 5 nm bilayer thickness. Decreasing the layer bilayer thickness from ~ 104 nm to ~ 5 nm, improved the mechanical hardness up to ~ 101%. Residual stresses were measured using grazing incident X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). Effect of residual stress on atomic structure and dislocation propagation was then investigated by comparing the amount and type of stresses in both aluminum and titanium phases. Based on the gathered data from GIXRD scans tensile stress in Ti phases, and compressive stress in Al would increase the overall coherency of structure. Wear rate in coatings is highly dependent on design and architect of the structure. NMM coatings are known to have much better wear resistance compare to their monolithic constituent phases by introducing a reciprocal architect. In current study wear rate of two Al/Ti NMMs with individual layer thicknesses of ~ 2.5 nm and ~ 30 nm were examined under normal loads of 30 µN, 60 µN, and 93 µN. Wears strokes were performed in various cycles of 1, 2, 3, 4 5 and 10. Wear rates were then calculated by comparing the 3D imaging of sample topology before and after tests. Nano-hardness of samples was measured pre and post each cycle of wear using a nanoindentation tool. The microstructure of samples below the worn surface was then characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), focus ion beam (FIB) and an optical profilometer. Orientation mapping was performed to analyze the microstructure of layers beneath the nano indents. TEM imaging from the cross section of worn samples indicated severely plastically deformed layer (SPDL) below the worn surface. Shear bands and twins are visible after wear and below the worn surface. Decreasing the layer thickness from 30 nm to 2.5 nm resulted in ~ 5 time’s better wear resistance. Nanowear caused surface hardening which consequently increased nano hardness up to ~ 30% in the sample with 2.5 nm individual layer thickness. Increasing the interfaces density of NMMs will significantly improve the corrosion resistance of coating. Reciprocal layers and consequently interfaces will block the path of aggressive content toward the substrate. Corrosion rate evolution of Al/Ti multilayers was investigated through DC corrosion potentiodynamic test. Results seem to be very promising and demonstrate up to 30 times better corrosion resistance compared to conventional sputtered monolithic aluminum. Corrosion started in the form of pitting and then transformed to the localized galvanic corrosion. Decreasing the bilayer thickness from ~ 10.4 nm to ~ 5 nm will decrease the corrosion current density (icorr) of ~ 5.42 × 10-7 (A/cm2) to ~ 6.11 × 10-10 (A/cm2). No sign of corrosion has been seen in the sample with ~ 2.5 nm individual layer thickness. Further AFM and TEM analysis from surface and cross section of NMMs indicate that a more coherent layer by layer structure improves the corrosion rate. Interfaces have a significant role in blocking the pores and imperfections inside coating.

MEMS-based gas turbine engines are currently under development at MIT for use as a button-sized portable power generator or micro-aircraft propulsion sources. Power densities expected for the micro-engines require very high rotor peripheral speeds of 300-600m/s and high combustion gas temperatures of 1300-1700K. These harsh requirements for the engine operation induce very high stress levels in the engine structure, and thus call for qualified refractory materials with high strength. Silicon carbide (SiC) has been chosen as the most promising material for use due to its high strength and chemical inertness at elevated temperatures. However, the state-of-the art microfabrication techniques for single-crystal SiC are not yet mature enough to achieve the required level of high precision of micro-engine components. To circumvent this limitation and to take advantage of the well-established precise silicon microfabrication technologies, silicon-silicon carbide hybrid turbine structures are being developed using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of thick SiC (up to ~70µm) on silicon wafers and wafer bonding processes. Residual stress control of thick SiC layers is of critical importance to all the silicon-silicon carbide hybrid structure fabrication steps since a high level of residual stresses causes wafer cracking during the planarization, as well as excessive wafer bow, which is detrimental to the subsequent planarization and bonding processes. The origins of the residual stress in CVD SiC layers have been studied. SiC layers (as thick as 30µm) with low residual stresses (on the order of several tens of MPa) have been produced by controlling CVD process parameters such as temperature and gas ratio. Wafer-level SiC planarization has been accomplished by mechanical polishing using diamond grit and bonding processes are currently under development using CVD silicon dioxide as an interlayer material. This paper reports on the work that has been done so far under the MIT micro-engine project. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Fatigue assessments have been carried out predominantly with quasi-deterministic approaches, such as the use of SN curves. However, both the loading and the resistance of fatigue prone components are subjected to significant uncertainties. Consequently, a prediction of the remaining fatigue life based on deterministic load and resistance models can lead to unreliable results. This work presents a general reliability-based approach to predict fatigue life of steel components. The approach incorporates prediction of fatigue crack initiation, modeled with a strain-based correlation approach, and propagation, modeled using a linear elastic fracture mechanics approach, and is applicable to new, cracked or repaired structural components. Based on the analysis of existing test results and additional crack initiation and propagation tests on weld metal, the relevant probabilistic fatigue material properties of grade 350WT steel and a matching weld metal were established. An experimental program was carried out on welded details tested either in the as-welded, stress-relieved, conventionally peened, or ultrasonically peened condition. It was demonstrated that ultrasonic peening is superior to the other investigated post weld treatment methods. Using finite element analyses, the results of the tests were deterministically predicted for several different initial conditions, including initial flaw and crack sizes and locations, as well as different levels of residual stresses. A model incorporating an initial flaw and accounting for crack closure and the threshold stress intensity factor range was retained. A probabilistic analysis using Monte Carlo Simulation was carried out to calibrate the relevant parameters. A general reliability-based approach, which includes both the loading and resistance sides of the limit state function was proposed and applied to three practical examples: prediction of test results from two test programs and the prediction of the remaining fatigue life of a cracked component as a function of the safety index. These three applications demonstrated that accurate fatigue life predictions targeting a predefined safety index are achieved. / Structural Engineering

In this study, effect of fillet rolling process on fatigue performance of a diesel engine crankshaft was investigated. Crankshafts from two different materials, were studied / ductile cast iron EN-GJS 800-2 and micro-alloyed steel 38MnVS6. Resonance bending fatigue tests were conducted with crankshaft samples. Test plan according to staircase test methodology was used. Statistical analyses were carried out with the test data by Maximum Likelihood Estimation method in order to calculate the fatigue limits and construct the S-N curves based on Random Fatigue Limit (RFL) and Modified Basquin models. Fatigue limit calculations were also conducted by Dixon-Mood method and by Maximum Likelihood Estimation methodology for Normal and Weibull distributions. Fillet rolling process was simulated by computer based analysis in order to calculate the compressive residual stress profile at the fillet region to shed more light on the mechanisms and effect of fillet rolling. Fatigue performances of crankshafts from two types of materials were evaluated both at unrolled and fillet rolled states. Effect of fillet rolling load on fatigue performance was also evaluated with steel crankshafts. It was found that ductile cast iron showed better performance under bending fatigue tests than the steel crankshaft both at the fillet rolled and unrolled conditions. On the other hand, fillet rolling process was found to be more effective on steel crankshaft than ductile cast iron crankshaft in terms of fatigue performance improvement. It was also seen that fatigue limit increases with the fillet rolling load up to a limit where surface quality is deteriorated. Residual stress analysis showed that a higher magnitude of residual stress can develop on steel crankshaft fillet region whereas the effective depth of the residual stress is higher on ductile cast iron crankshaft with the same rolling condition. Residual stress analysis of steel crankshafts rolled at different rolling conditions show that, peak residual stress increase with the increasing rolling load is not significantly high and main effect of increased rolling load is the increased effective depth of residual stresses. The MLE methodology used in statistical analysis of the test data was found to be effective for life regression and fatigue strength distributions analysis. RFL model has provided better life regression analysis and fatigue limit calculations than Modified Basquin model. Dixon-Mood method was found to be overestimating the fatigue limit.

Yttria Partially Stabilized Zirconia (Y-PSZ) plasma-sprayed coatings are widely used in turbine engines as thermal barrier coatings. However, in diesel engines Y-PSZ TBCs have not met with wide success. To reach the desirable temperature of 850-900˚C in the combustion chamber from the current temperature of 400-600˚C, a coating with a thickness of approximately 1mm is required. This introduces different considerations than in the case of turbine blade coatings, which are on the order of 100µm thick. Of the many factors affecting the durability and failure mechanism of TBCs, in service and residual stresses play an especially important role as the thickness of the coating increases. For decreasing the residual stress in the system, a multi-layer coating is helpful. The design of a multilayer coating employing relatively low cost materials with complementary thermal properties is described. Numerical models were used to describe the residual stress after deposition and under operating conditions for a multilayer coating that exhibited the desired temperature gradient. Results showed that the multilayer coating had a lower maximum stress under service conditions than a conventional Y-PSZ coating. Model validation with experiments showed a good match between the two.

Yttria Partially Stabilized Zirconia (Y-PSZ) plasma-sprayed coatings are widely used in turbine engines as thermal barrier coatings. However, in diesel engines Y-PSZ TBCs have not met with wide success. To reach the desirable temperature of 850-900˚C in the combustion chamber from the current temperature of 400-600˚C, a coating with a thickness of approximately 1mm is required. This introduces different considerations than in the case of turbine blade coatings, which are on the order of 100µm thick. Of the many factors affecting the durability and failure mechanism of TBCs, in service and residual stresses play an especially important role as the thickness of the coating increases. For decreasing the residual stress in the system, a multi-layer coating is helpful. The design of a multilayer coating employing relatively low cost materials with complementary thermal properties is described. Numerical models were used to describe the residual stress after deposition and under operating conditions for a multilayer coating that exhibited the desired temperature gradient. Results showed that the multilayer coating had a lower maximum stress under service conditions than a conventional Y-PSZ coating. Model validation with experiments showed a good match between the two.

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It is generally accepted that the fatigue crack growth depends on the stress intensity factor range (ΔK) and the maximum stress intensity factor (K_max). Numerous driving forces were introduced to analyze fatigue crack growth for a wide range of stress ratios. However, it appears that the effect of the crack tip stresses and strains need to be included into the fatigue crack growth analysis as well. Such an approach can be successful as long as the stress intensity factors are correlated with the actual elastic-plastic crack tip stress-strain field. Unfortunately, the correlation between the stress intensity factors and the crack tip stress-strain field is often altered by residual stresses induced by reversed plastic deformations. A two-parameter model (ΔK_tot, K_max,tot) based on the elastic-plastic crack tip stress-strain history has been proposed. The applied stress intensity factors (ΔK_appl, K_max,appl) were modified and converted into the total stress intensity factors (ΔK_tot, K_max,tot) in order to account for the effect of local crack tip stresses and strains on the fatigue crack growth. The fatigue crack growth was regarded as a process of successive crack re-initiations in the crack tip region and predicted by simulating the stress-strain response in the material volume adjacent to the crack tip and estimating the accumulated fatigue damage. The model was developed to predict the mean stress effect for steady-state fatigue crack growth and to determine the fatigue crack growth under simple variable amplitude loading histories. Moreover, the influence of the applied compressive stress on fatigue crack growth can be explained with the proposed two-parameter model. A two-parameter driving force in the form of: Δκ = K_max,tot^p ΔK_tot^(1-p) was derived based on the local stresses and strains at the crack tip using the Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT) fatigue damage parameter: D = σ_maxΔε/2. The parameter p is a function of material cyclic stress-strain properties and varies from 0 to 0.5 depending on the fatigue crack growth rate. The effects of the internal (residual) stress induced by the reversed cyclic plasticity manifested themselves in the change of the resultant (total) stress intensity factors driving the crack. Experimental fatigue crack growth data sets for two aluminum alloys (7075-T6 and 2024-T351), two steel alloys (4340 and 4140), and one titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) were used for the verification of the model under constant amplitude loading. This model was also capable of predicting variable-amplitude fatigue crack growth. Experimental fatigue crack growth data sets after single overloads for the aluminum alloy 7075-T6, steel alloy 4140, and titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V were also used for the verification of the model. The results indicate that the driving force Δκ can successfully predict the stress ratio R effect and also the load-interaction effect on fatigue crack growth.