[pt] Pontes rodoviárias são estruturas sujeitas à ação conjunta de fadiga e corrosão. Nesse sentido, este trabalho propõe um protótipo de sistema para auxiliar na tomada de decisão sobre a manutenção de pontes de viga de aço, no qual apenas pontes simplesmente apoiadas são consideradas. O sistema considera os efeitos da corrosão-fadiga e estima o tempo de vida útil dessas estruturas a partir de uma análise de confiabilidade estrutural. Tal análise é baseada nas curvas S-N para fadiga da norma americana AASHTO e na regra do acúmulo de dano de Miner. Para considerar a perda de material e a perda de resistência causadas pela corrosão, são realizados ajustes nos parâmetros de fadiga do modelo de confiabilidade utilizado. Além disso, algumas alternativas de manutenção que reduzem a taxa de degradação são consideradas no sistema com a correção dos parâmetros de corrosão do material. O sistema utiliza uma rede neural artificial para estimar as tensões nas vigas de aço com a passagem de um veículo de fadiga da AASHTO a partir de dados geométricos e de material da ponte. A base de dados utilizada para o desenvolvimento da rede neural foi criada a partir de resultados de simulações por elementos finitos. O ciclo de vida de uma ponte de aço projetada conforme a norma americana é simulado usando o sistema proposto. Através dessa simulação, conclui-se que o tempo de vida útil da mesma está relacionado com a combinação dos parâmetros de tráfego e da agressividade do ambiente. Conclui-se também que o aumento no volume de tráfego médio diário de caminhões (ADTT) pode causar uma redução de 48 por cento a 76 por cento na vida útil e dependendo do aumento na sua taxa de crescimento anual a redução pode ser de até 80 por cento. As alternativas de lavagem da superestrutura proporcionam ganho de vida útil para todos os ambientes, sobretudo no ambiente marinho (podendo chegar até 30 por cento). No entanto, em alguns dos cenários de tráfego testados nas simulações esse ganho não é suficiente para garantir o tempo de vida útil mínimo recomendado pela AASHTO. / [en] Highway bridges are structures subjected to the both action of fatigue and corrosion. In this sense, this research proposes the prototype of a system to assist in the maintenance decision making process of steel beam bridges, in which only simply supported steel girder bridges are considered. The system contemplates the effects of corrosion-fatigue and estimates the lifetime of these structures based on a structural reliability analysis. Such analysis is based on AASHTO S-N fatigue curves and Miner s damage accumulation rule. In order to account for material and resistance loss caused by corrosion, adjustments are made to the fatigue parameters of the reliability model used. In addition, some maintenance strategies that reduce the rate of corrosion are considered in the system by correcting the corrosion parameters of the material. The system uses an artificial neural network model to estimate the stresses in steel beams under the passage of an AASHTO fatigue vehicle using geometric and material data from the bridge. The database used for the development of the neural network was created from finite element simulations results. The life cycle of a steel bridge, designed according to the AASHTO American standard, is simulated using the proposed system. Through this simulation, it is concluded that the structure s lifetime is related to the combination of traffic parameters and the environment corrosivity. It is also observed that the increase in the average daily truck traffic (ADTT) can cause a reduction from 48 percent to 76 percent in the bridge s lifetime and depending on its annual growth increase rate the reduction can go up to 80 percent. Maintenance alternatives for the superstructure such as washing provide a lifetime gain for all environments, especially in the marine environment (up to 30 percent). However, in some of the tested traffic scenarios this gain is not sufficient to guarantee the minimum service life recommended by AASHTO.

The work is concerned with the development of a multi-stage corrosion fatigue lifetime model, with emphasis on pitting as a precursor to cracking. The model is based upon the quantitative evaluation of damage during the overall corrosion fatigue process. The fatigue response of as-received API 5L X65 linepipe steel has been investigated in terms of the evolution of damage during pit development, pit-to-crack transition and crack propagation. Micro-potentiostatic polarisation was conducted to evaluate role of stress on pit development. Crack growth rate measurements were conducted on pre-pitted specimens, which were tested in air and brine, to evaluate the initiation and propagation behaviour of cracks emanating from artificial pits. Finite element analysis was undertaken to evaluate the stress and strain distribution associated with the pits. A cellular automata finite element model was also developed for predicting corrosion fatigue damage. Pit growth rate was enhanced under stress. It was considered that the strain localisation effect of the pit facilitated strain-assisted dissolution. In air, cracks initiated predominantly from the pit mouth. FEA results indicated that this was due to localisation of strain towards the pit mouth. In corrosion fatigue, cracks tended to initiate at the pit base at low stress and at the pit mouth at higher stresses. Crack initiation lifetimes were shorter in the aggressive environment compared to air and the effect of the environment on crack initiation lifetime was lower at higher stress levels. Crack initiation lifetime for double pits generally decreased with decreasing pit-to-pit separation distance. The microstructure was observed to influence crack growth behaviour in air particularly in the early stages when cracks were short. The acceleration and retardation in crack growth were attributed to the resistance of grain boundaries to crack advance. Cracks sometimes arrested at these barriers and became non-propagating. Introduction of the environment for a short period appear to eliminate the resistance of the microstructural barriers thus promoting re-propagation of the previously arrested crack. The continued crack propagation after the removal of the environment suggests that the influence of the environment is more important in the early stages of crack growth. Crack growth rates were higher in the aggressive environment than in air. The degree of environmental enhancement of crack growth was found to be greater at lower stress levels and at short crack lengths. Oxide-induced crack closure and crack coalescence were two mechanisms that also affected crack growth behaviour.2-D cellular automata finite element simulation results, with and without stress, show good agreement agreed with experiments i.e. pit depth and pit aspect ratio increase with time. Results from 3-D cellular automata simulations of pits are also consistent with experiments. Fatigue lifetimes were significantly shorter (i) in the brine environment than in air and (ii) for specimens with double pits compared to single pits of similar depth. Fatigue strength in air was found to decrease with increasing pit depth. Corrosion fatigue lifetimes predicted based upon the developed model showed good agreement with the experimental lifetimes.

This doctoral thesis deals with the determination of the influence of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) on fatigue behaviour of extruded AZ61 magnesium alloy in air and in the 3.5% NaCl solution. The coatings were formed in the silicate-phosphate electrolyte under pulsed current conditions at a frequency of 50 Hz. The influence of current density on coating formation was examined under current densities of 70, 130 and 200 mA cm-2 for different durations up to a maximum of 1800 s. 8 g dm-3 of KF were added to the electrolyte to study the influence of fluoride ions in plasma electrolytic oxidation. It is shown that fluoride ions inhibit localised oxidation in the initial stage of the process, associated with the secondary particles based on Al–Mn. The presence of fluoride also modified the sparking characteristics, decreased the rate of coating growth and changed the morphologies of the coatings. The influence of fluoride on the coating hardness, and the corrosion resistance of the alloy during exposure to salt spray, was negligible. Based on previous optimised PEO conditions, coatings formed under a current density of 130 mA cm-2 for 300 s in the electrolyte containing KF were chosen for fatigue testing. The high-cycle fatigue tests were carried out on cylindrical samples under a force controlled sinusoidal tension-tension cycle with asymmetry parameter R=0. The experimental data were fitted with Kohout & Věchet function. The fatigue limit of uncoated alloy in air for 107 cycles was determined at 145.4 MPa and the combination of PEO coating with chloride ions caused a reduction of ~55 %. Attention was paid to the fatigue crack initiation in different conditions of cyclic loading. The fracture surfaces underwent detailed fractography analysis including secondary crack observation on the gauge length. The contribution of Al–Mn particles were confirmed on the uncoated alloy in air and the presence of chloride ions were observed as another influential contributor to local corrosion attack. The cyclic loading caused spalling of the outer layer, and the multiple initiation was observed on PEO coated alloy, caused by cracks in the coating and stress transferring to the alloy.

Corrosion fatigue is a common failure mechanism in rock drilling components and many othermechanical parts subjected to cyclic loads in corrosive environments. A crucial part in the design ofsuch components resides in the selection of the right materials for the application, which ideallyinvolves testing and comparison of their performance under working conditions. The present work was performed with the purpose of designing a corrosion-fatigue testing methodthat would allow the designer to compare the performance of different materials exposed to corrosionfatigue, permitting also the comparison with results from dry fatigue testing. The method was designedfor rotating-bending machines. Two different steel grades were used during the work, one throughhardened and one case hardened. The effect of these heat treatments and of shot peening overcorrosion-fatigue behaviour were studied using the proposed method. It was proven that the testing speed has a strong impact on the fatigue life of steel. It was found that,at a fixed stress level, the case hardened and shot peened steel reached 3X10^6 cycles at 2300 rpm,while it failed at only 5X10^5 cycles with a testing speed of 500 rpm. A large beneficial influence of theshot peening was demonstrated. It was also observed that, at fixed testing speed, the shot peening onthe through hardened steel can increase its fatigue strength from 190 MPa to 600 MPa under corrosionfatigue. Many cracks were found at the surface of the shot peened parts, which are arrested near thesurface by the compressive stress layer from the shot peening. It was also found that, for the non-shotpeened parts, case hardening had a slightly higher corrosion-fatigue strength than the throughhardened. This might be a result of the compressive stresses from carburization, or due to the highercore toughness of this steel grade.

Main extrinsic and intrinsic modifiers factors of crack growth rate in AA7050-T7451 were assessed in order to provide tools for aeronautical structures designers. These tools cover most necessary information to project aircraft\'s structures using the studied alloy, under damage tolerance philosophy. The experimental methodology consisted of use CT specimens, on TL and LT rolling direction to test its behavior under different conditions of stress ratio, force waveform, and the environment. The stress ratio values were 0.1 and 0.5, the force waveform used were sine and trapezoidal or Dwell under normal air laboratory conditions and salt fog 3.5%NaCl weight in order to simulate the marine environment. In Dwell tests, results were checked with the electrical potential drop technique (DCPD) in addition to the crack opening displacement (COD) method. Using the Walker coefficients, calculated on the present research, could be projected accurately the crack propagation behavior on Paris region and do fatigue life predictions using da/dN and S-N diagrams for different stress ratio values. The corrosion environment increases both crack growth rate and ΔKth due to oxides formation on the crack path that generates a crack closure effect. Dwell carrying makes decrease the crack growth rate by decreasing the slope of the Paris line on log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) curve, instead of shifting down the line as occurs on titanium alloys. Rolling direction change from LT to TL increase the FCG rate in both threshold and Paris region, where the rate change use to be small. / Os principais fatores modificadores extrínsecos e intrínsecos da taxa de propagação de trincas na liga AA7050-T7451 foram avaliados para fornecer subsídios para projetistas de estruturas aeronáuticas, com base na filosofía de tolerância ao dano. A metodologia experimental consistiu em ensaiar corpos de prova do tipo compact tension (CT) da liga nas direções de laminação TL e LT, para verificar seu comportamento sob diferentes razões de tensões, forma de onda e condição ambiente. Os valores de razão de tensão estudados foram 0,1 e 0,5, as formas de onda foram senoidal e trapezoidal ou de Dwell, em condições normais de laboratório, ao ar, e névoa salina 3,5% NaCl, em massa, para simular um ambiente marinho. No caso dos ensaios Dwell, os resultados foram conferidos pelo método de queda de potencial eléctrico (QPE), além do método de flexibilidade elástica. Usando os coeficientes de Walker calculados a partir dos resultados obtidos, pôde-se projetar com precisão o comportamento da propagação de trinca na região de Paris e prever a vida em fadiga usando os diagramas da/dN e S-N para diferentes valores da razão de tensões. O ambiente corrosivo aumenta tanto a taxa de propagação de trinca, quanto o valor de ΔKth por causa da formação de óxidos na trajetória da trinca, que geram um efeito de fechamento sobre a mesma. Quanto à forma de onda, verificou-se que o carregamento Dwell diminui a taxa de propagação de trinca, diminuindo a inclinação das curvas log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) na região de Paris, ao invés de deslocá-la paralelamente como ocorre com ligas de titânio. A mudança da direção de laminação de LT para TL aumenta a taxa de propagação de trinca por fadiga (PTF) tanto na região de threshold, quanto na região de Paris, onde a mudança de taxa é pequena.

Fatigue and fracture assisted by the environment are responsible for the majority of failures in implants. Due to low tribological properties of titanium alloys, the thermal oxidation technique has been evaluated to improve the surface hardness and consequently, to improves the tribological properties of Ti6Al4V alloy. However, despite improved tribological properties of the Ti6Al4V alloy, there is a tendency to reduction of the fatigue limit of the oxide layer. The combined action of body fluid and cyclic loads also need to be investigated. This study evaluated the effect of thermal oxidation in the fatigue limit of the Ti6Al4V in environment containing 0.9% NaCl. It was observed a reduction in the fatigue limit for thermally oxidized Ti6Al4V alloy and it is suggested that the reduction in fatigue properties of alloy is associated with the brittleness of oxide layer. / Os processos de fadiga e fraturas assistidas pelo ambiente são responsáveis pela maioria das falhas em implantes. Devido às baixas propriedades tribológicas do titânio e suas ligas, a técnica de oxidação térmica tem ganhado destaque por conferir um aumento da dureza superficial e consequentemente melhorar as propriedades tribológicas da liga Ti6Al4V. Entretanto apesar da melhoria das propriedades tribológicas existe uma tendência na redução do limite de fadiga quando há presença de uma camada de óxido na superfície da liga Ti6Al4V. Ainda a ação combinada de fluidos corpóreos e de carregamento precisa ser investigada. Neste estudo foi avaliado o efeito da oxidação térmica combinado a aplicação de carregamento cíclico ao ar e em meio contendo 0,9 % NaCl. Foi observada uma redução no limite de resistência à fadiga para a liga Ti6Al4V oxidada termicamente. O meio contendo 0,9 % de NaCl não influenciou significativamente a resistência em fadiga de corpos de prova oxidados termicamente e sugere-se que a redução nas propriedades de fadiga da liga está associada à fragilidade da camada de óxido.

Main extrinsic and intrinsic modifiers factors of crack growth rate in AA7050-T7451 were assessed in order to provide tools for aeronautical structures designers. These tools cover most necessary information to project aircraft\'s structures using the studied alloy, under damage tolerance philosophy. The experimental methodology consisted of use CT specimens, on TL and LT rolling direction to test its behavior under different conditions of stress ratio, force waveform, and the environment. The stress ratio values were 0.1 and 0.5, the force waveform used were sine and trapezoidal or Dwell under normal air laboratory conditions and salt fog 3.5%NaCl weight in order to simulate the marine environment. In Dwell tests, results were checked with the electrical potential drop technique (DCPD) in addition to the crack opening displacement (COD) method. Using the Walker coefficients, calculated on the present research, could be projected accurately the crack propagation behavior on Paris region and do fatigue life predictions using da/dN and S-N diagrams for different stress ratio values. The corrosion environment increases both crack growth rate and ΔKth due to oxides formation on the crack path that generates a crack closure effect. Dwell carrying makes decrease the crack growth rate by decreasing the slope of the Paris line on log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) curve, instead of shifting down the line as occurs on titanium alloys. Rolling direction change from LT to TL increase the FCG rate in both threshold and Paris region, where the rate change use to be small. / Os principais fatores modificadores extrínsecos e intrínsecos da taxa de propagação de trincas na liga AA7050-T7451 foram avaliados para fornecer subsídios para projetistas de estruturas aeronáuticas, com base na filosofía de tolerância ao dano. A metodologia experimental consistiu em ensaiar corpos de prova do tipo compact tension (CT) da liga nas direções de laminação TL e LT, para verificar seu comportamento sob diferentes razões de tensões, forma de onda e condição ambiente. Os valores de razão de tensão estudados foram 0,1 e 0,5, as formas de onda foram senoidal e trapezoidal ou de Dwell, em condições normais de laboratório, ao ar, e névoa salina 3,5% NaCl, em massa, para simular um ambiente marinho. No caso dos ensaios Dwell, os resultados foram conferidos pelo método de queda de potencial eléctrico (QPE), além do método de flexibilidade elástica. Usando os coeficientes de Walker calculados a partir dos resultados obtidos, pôde-se projetar com precisão o comportamento da propagação de trinca na região de Paris e prever a vida em fadiga usando os diagramas da/dN e S-N para diferentes valores da razão de tensões. O ambiente corrosivo aumenta tanto a taxa de propagação de trinca, quanto o valor de ΔKth por causa da formação de óxidos na trajetória da trinca, que geram um efeito de fechamento sobre a mesma. Quanto à forma de onda, verificou-se que o carregamento Dwell diminui a taxa de propagação de trinca, diminuindo a inclinação das curvas log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) na região de Paris, ao invés de deslocá-la paralelamente como ocorre com ligas de titânio. A mudança da direção de laminação de LT para TL aumenta a taxa de propagação de trinca por fadiga (PTF) tanto na região de threshold, quanto na região de Paris, onde a mudança de taxa é pequena.