Turbine engine blades are subjected to extreme conditions characterized by significant and simultaneous excursions in both stress and temperature. These conditions promote thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) crack growth which can significantly reduce component design life beyond that which would be predicted from isothermal/constant load amplitude results. A thorough understanding of the thermo-mechanical fatigue crack behavior in single crystal superalloys is crucial to accurately evaluate component life to ensure reliable operations without blade fracture through the use of "retirement for cause" (RFC). This research was conducted on PWA1484, a single crystal superalloy used by Pratt & Whitney for turbine blades. Initially, an isothermal constant amplitude fatigue crack growth rate database was developed, filling a void that currently exists in published literature. Through additional experimental testing, fractography, and modeling, the effects of temperature interactions, load interactions, oxidation and secondary crystallographic orientation on the fatigue crack growth rate and the underlying mechanisms responsible were determined. As is typical in published literature, an R Ratio of 0.7 displays faster crack growth when compared to R = 0.1. The effect of temperature on crack growth rate becomes more pronounced as the crack driving force increases. In addition secondary orientation and R Ratio effects on crack growth rate were shown to increase with increasing temperature. Temperature interaction testing between 649°C and 982°C showed that for both R = 0.1 and 0.7, retardation is present at larger alternating cycle blocks and acceleration is present at smaller alternating cycle blocks. This transition from acceleration to retardation occurs between 10 and 20 alternating cycles for R = 0.1 and around 20 alternating cycles for R = 0.7. Load interaction testing showed that when the crack driving force is near KIC the overload size greatly influences whether acceleration or retardation will occur at 982°C. Semi-realistic spectrum testing demonstrated the extreme sensitivity that relative loading levels play on fatigue crack growth life while also calling into question the importance of dwell times. A crack trajectory modeling approach using blade primary and secondary orientations was used to determine whether crack propagation will occur on crystallographic planes or normal to the applied load. Crack plane determination using a scanning electron microscope enabled verification of the crack trajectory modeling approach. The isothermal constant amplitude fatigue crack growth results fills a much needed void in currently available data. While the temperature and load interaction fatigue crack growth results reveal the acceleration and retardation that is present in cracks growing in single crystal turbine blade materials under TMF conditions. This research also provides a deeper understanding of the failure and deformation mechanisms responsible for crack growth during thermo-mechanical fatigue. The crack path trajectory modeling will help enable "Retirement for Cause" to be used for critical turbine engine components, a drastic improvement over the standard "safe-life" calculations while also reducing the risk of catastrophic failure due to "chunk liberation" as a function of time. Leveraging off this work there exists the possibility of developing a "local approach" to define a crack growth forcing function in single crystal superalloys.

abstract: Structural stability and performance of structural materials is important for energy production, whether renewable or non renewable, to have uninterrupted energy supply, that is economically feasible and safe. High temperature metallic materials used in the turbines of AORA, an Israel-based clean energy producer, often experience high temperature, high stress and foreign object damage (FOD). In this study, efforts were made to study the effects of FOD on the fatigue life of these materials and to understand their failure mechanisms. The foreign objects/debris recovered by AORA were characterized using Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) to identify composition and phases. To perform foreign object damage experiment a gas gun was built and results of XRD and EDS were used to select particles to mimic FOD in lab experiments for two materials of interest to AORA: Hastelloy X and SS 347. Electron Backscattering Diffraction, hardness and tensile tests were also performed to characterize microstructure and mechanical properties. Fatigue tests using at high temperature were performed on dog bone samples with and without FOD and the fracture surfaces and well as the regions affected by FOD were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to understand the failure mechanism. The findings of these study indicate that FOD is causing multiple secondary cracks at and around the impact sites, which can potentially grow to coalesce and remove pieces of material, and the multisite damage could also lead to lower fatigue lives, despite the fact that the FOD site was not always the most favorable for initiation of the fatal fatigue crack. It was also seen by the effect of FOD on fatigue life that SS 347 is more susceptible to FOD than Hastelloy X. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Materials Science and Engineering 2016

Cette thèse a pour objet l'étude de la fiabilité de modules de puissance triphasés à IGBTs 200 A - 600 V, destinés à la construction d'onduleurs de traction pour des applications automobiles hybrides ou électriques. Ces travaux visent à évaluer la tenue de ces modules de puissance en régime de cyclage thermique actif à hautes température, en mettant l'accent sur leur résistance à la fatigue thermomécanique. Deux approches complémentaires ont été mises en oeuvre dans ce but: tests de vieillissement accéléré et modélisation numérique. Une compagne d'essais de vieillissement par cyclage actif a été menée avec des profils de température variés, définis par la température ambiante et la variation de température de jonction des IGBTs, utilisés comme facteurs d'accélération des contraintes. Au cours de ces tests, les composants ont électriquement fonctionné dans des conditions semblables à une application réelle (commande MLI). L'objectif était d'identifier les modes de défaillance, d'estimer l'influence des facteurs d'accélération du vieillissement, et d'évaluer la pertinence des indicateurs de défaillance classiques dans ces conditions de stress thermiques sévères. Aussi, afin de mieux comprendre les mécanismes de défaillance responsables de la fatigue de l'assemblage des modules considérés, une modélisation thermomécanique visant à déterminer l'impact des modèles de comportement mécanique sur la durée de vie estimée des brasures, a été développée. La réponse de l'assemblage à des contraintes de cyclage actif similaires à celles appliquées durant les essais a été évaluée par analyse numérique. Les différentes lois de comportement ont été comparées en termes de contraintes, déformations plastiques, et densité d'énergie plastique dans les brasures. / This thesis is dedicated to reliability investigations led on three-phase 200~A~--~600~V IGBT power modules, designed for building drive inverters for hybrid or electric automotive traction applications. The objective was to evaluate the durability of the studied modules when they withstand power cycling in high temperature environments, and especially their resistance to thermo-mechanical fatigue. Two complementary approaches were considered: accelerated aging experiments and numerical modeling.A series of power cycling tests was carried out over a large range of temperature profiles, defined by the ambient temperature and IGBT junction temperature excursion. These quantities are used as thermal stress acceleration factors. Those experiments were led in realistic electrical conditions (PWM control scheme). They aimed at identifying the failure modes of the target devices, assessing the impact of the acceleration factors on their aging process, and evaluating the suitability of standard aging indicators as damage precursors in such harsh loading conditions. Besides, to better understand the failure mechanisms governing the fatigue life of the modules assembly, a thermo-mechanical modeling focusing on solder joints was built. Our simulation efforts concentrated on the appraisal of constitutive modeling effects on solder joints lifetime estimation. Numerical analysis of the assembly response to power cycling in similar operating conditions as practiced in experiments were performed. Behavior laws were then compared on stress, plastic strain, and strain energy density developed within the joints.

In an engine component the repeated start-stop cycles cause temporal and local inhomogeneous temperatures, which in turn lead to a type of low-frequency loading, plastic deformation and eventually failure due to thermo-mechanical fatigue. Simultaneously, high-frequency mechanical loading arises from the cyclic combustion pressure and from road induced vibrations. These types of loadings that mainly are in the elastic region are usually denoted high cycle fatigue (HCF). In order to improve efficiency, power density and to reduce emissions, future truck engines will be subjected to higher temperatures and higher combustion pressures which will affect the service life of the different engine components. As a consequence, there is a need to determine the limitations of the used alloys under these service conditions as exactly as possible. In this master thesis work the fatigue properties of one grey iron (EN-GJL 250) and one compacted graphite iron (EN-GJV 400) has been investigated under realistic loading conditions. The results show that a change from the grey iron to the compacted graphite iron will result in a significant increase of the fatigue life. The investigation also reveal that the life will increase significantly if the maximum temperature can be decreased tens of degrees. Further, the results indicate that addition of a relatively small HCF load may give a large decrease of the fatigue life. / Motorkomponenter utsätts för upprepade start och stopp, vilka skapar tillfälliga och lokala temperaturvariationer. Dessa resulterar i lågfrekventa lastväxlingar, plastiska deformationer och eventuella brott i form av termodynamisk utmattning (TMF). Det sker dessutom en högfrekvent mekanisk last, genererad av förbränningen och från vägvibrationer. Dessa laster är mestadels elastiska och benämns högcykelutmattning (HCF). För att kunna förbättra verkningsgrad och minska emissioner kommer framtida lastbilsmotorer att utsättas för högre förbränningstryck och högre temperaturer, vilket kommer påverka motorernas livslängd. För detta krävs det att materialens begränsningar utreds under ett verklighetstroget förhållande. I detta exjobb kommer utmattningsegenskaperna för ett gråjärn (EN-GJL 250) och ett kompaktgrafikjärn (EN-GJV 400) utredas under realistiska lastförhållanden. Resultatet påvisar att ett byte från gråjärn till kompaktgrafitjärn ger en signifikant ökad livslängd. Det framkommer också att livslängden kan ökas genom att sänka den maximala temperaturen ett tiotal grader. Analysen påvisar även att en relativt liten HCF last kan ge kraftigt förkortad livslängd.

In an engine component the repeated start-stop cycles cause temporal and local inhomogeneous temperatures, which in turn lead to a type of low-frequency loading, plastic deformation and eventually failure due to thermo-mechanical fatigue. Simultaneously, high-frequency mechanical loading arises from the cyclic combustion pressure and from road induced vibrations. These types of loadings that mainly are in the elastic region are usually denoted high cycle fatigue (HCF). In order to improve efficiency, power density and to reduce emissions, future truck engines will be subjected to higher temperatures and higher combustion pressures which will affect the service life of the different engine components. As a consequence, there is a need to determine the limitations of the used alloys under these service conditions as exactly as possible. In this master thesis work the fatigue properties of one grey iron (EN-GJL 250) and one compacted graphite iron (EN-GJV 400) has been investigated under realistic loading conditions. The results show that a change from the grey iron to the compacted graphite iron will result in a significant increase of the fatigue life. The investigation also reveal that the life will increase significantly if the maximum temperature can be decreased tens of degrees. Further, the results indicate that addition of a relatively small HCF load may give a large decrease of the fatigue life. Keywords:Thermo-mechanical fatigue, TMF, CGI, LGI, fatigue, thermal strain. / Motorkomponenter utsätts för upprepade start och stopp, vilka skapar tillfälliga och lokala temperaturvariationer. Dessa resulterar i lågfrekventa lastväxlingar, plastiska deformationer och eventuella brott i form av termomekanisk utmattning (TMF). Det sker dessutom en högfrekvent mekanisk last, genererad av förbränningen och från vägvibrationer. Dessa laster är mestadels elastiska och benämns högcykelutmattning (HCF). För att kunna förbättra verkningsgrad och minska emissioner kommer framtida lastbilsmotorer att utsättas för högre förbränningstryck och högre temperaturer, vilket kommer påverka motorernas livslängd. För detta krävs det att materialens begränsningar utreds under ett verklighetstroget förhållande. I detta exjobb kommer utmattningsegenskaperna för ett gråjärn (EN-GJL 250) och ett kompaktgrafikjärn (EN-GJV 400) utredas under realistiska lastförhållanden. Resultatet påvisar att ett byte från gråjärn till kompaktgrafitjärn ger en signifikant ökad livslängd. Det framkommer också att livslängden kan ökas genom att sänka den maximala temperaturen ett tiotal grader. Analysen påvisar även att en relativt liten HCF last kan ge kraftigt förkortad livslängd. Nyckelord: Termomekanisk utmattning, TMF, CGI, LGI, termisk töjning.

Les aubes de turbine haute pression en superalliage monocristallin sont refroidies, à la fois par un réseau de canaux internes, ainsi que par des perforations débouchantes. Soumises à des cycles thermo-mécaniques complexes, elles subissent des endommagements de type fatigue, fluage et oxydation. Pour valider les chaînes de prévision de durée de vie en conditions réelles d'utilisation, il a été nécessaire d’étudier des configurations d’essais technologiques reproduisant les conditions d'un cycle moteur en laboratoire. Pour cela, une installation d'essai de fatigue à gradient thermique de paroi est développée. Le gradient thermique est généré par chauffage de la surface externe et refroidissement interne par une circulation d’air. L’installation a ainsi permis la réalisation d'essais selon une complexité croissante, allant de l’essai isotherme jusqu'au cycle thermo-mécanique complexe, sur éprouvette tubulaire lisse ou multi-perforée. Afin d’analyser finement ces essais, deux méthodes de mesures sont étudiées. La méthode du potentiel électrique pour la détection et le suivi de fissure appliquée à des géométries complexes et la corrélation d’images, dont l’utilisation est étendue à la haute température. Le point-clé de la modélisation de ces essais est l'estimation du champ thermique. L'impossibilité de le mesurer sur éprouvette, a conduit à le déterminer numériquement, notamment par des simulations couplées aéro-thermiques. La chaîne de prévision de durée de vie intégrant l'aspect non-local, a ainsi pu être confrontée aux mesures expérimentales en termes de réponse mécanique, localisation de l'endommagement et durée de vie à amorçage. / Monocrystalline high pressure turbine blades are booth cooled by an internal channel network and side-wall crossing holes. As they undergo complex thermo-mechanical cycles they suffer fatigue, creep and oxidation damages. In order to validate lifetime prediction chain under real conditions of use, the study of technological test configurations reproducing turbine cycle conditions was necessary. For that, a thermal gradient mechanical fatigue facility is developed. Thermal gradient is generated through an external surface heating and an internal air cooling. As a result, tests could be conducted following a growing complexity on smooth and multi-perforated tubular specimens going from isothermal test up to thermo-mechanical complex cycle. The need of in-depth analysis of these tests led to the study of two measurement methods. The electrical potential drop method for crack detection and crack following applied to complex shapes and digital image correlation which use was extended to high temperatures. Simulation key issue is the thermal field estimation. Measurement complexity led us to numerically determine it by various methods including aero-thermal coupled calculations. Finally lifetime prediction chain including non-local coverage was confronted with experimental measurements in terms of mechanical response, damage localisation and crack initiation lifetime.

High strength nickel-base superalloys have been used in turbine blades for many years because of their superior performance at high temperatures. In such environments superalloys have limited oxidation and corrosion resistance and to solve this problem, protective coatings are deposited on the surface. The positive effect of coatings is based on protecting the surface zone in contact with hot gas atmosphere with a thermodynamically stable oxide layer that acts as a diffusion barrier. During service life, mechanical properties of metallic coatings can be changed due to the significant interdiffusion between substrate and coating. There are also other degradation mechanisms that affect nickel-base superalloys such as low cycle fatigue, thermo-mechanical fatigue and creep. The focus of this work is on a study of low cycle fatigue and out-of-phase thermo-mechanical fatigue behaviour of three uncoated and coated nickel-base superalloys. Polycrystalline IN792 and two single crystals CMSX-4 and SCB were coated with four different coatings; an overlay coating AMDRY997 (NiCoCrAlYTa), a platinum aluminide modified diffusion coating RT22 and two innovative coatings with a NiW interdiffusion barrier in the interface called IC1 and IC3. A low cycle fatigue and thermo-mechanical fatigue device was designed and set-up to simulate service loading of turbine blades and vanes. The low cycle fatigue tests were run at 500oC and 900oC while the thermo-mechanical fatigue tests were run between 250oC and 900oC.To simulate long service life, some coated specimens were exposed at 1050oC for 2000 h before the tests. The main conclusions are that the presence of the coatings is, in most cases, detrimental to LCF lives of the superalloys at 500oC while the coatings do improve the LCF lives of the superalloys at 900oC. Under TMF loading conditions, the coatings have negative effect on the lifetime of IN792. On single crystals, they are found to improve TMF life of the superalloys, especially at lower strains. The tests also indicate that long-term aging influences the fatigue and fracture behaviour of coated superalloys by oxidation and diffusion mechanisms when compared to non-aged specimens. The aged specimens exhibit longer life in some cases and shorter life during other test conditions. Fatigue cracks were in most cases initiated at the surface of the coatings, growing transgranularly perpendicular to the load axis.

A model was created to predict the thermo-mechanical fatigue crack growth rates under typical engine spectrum loading conditions. This model serves as both a crack growth analysis tool to determine residual lifetime of ageing turbine components and as a design tool to assess the effects of temperature and loading variables on crack propagation. The material used in the development of this model was a polycrystalline superalloy, Inconel 100 (IN-100). The first step in creating a reliable model was to define the first order effects that influence TMF crack growth in a typical engine spectrum. Load interaction effects were determined to be major contributors to lifetime estimates by influencing crack growth rates based upon previous load histories. A yield zone model was modified to include temperature dependent properties that controlled the effects of crack growth retardation and acceleration based upon overloads and underloads, respectively. Multiple overload effects were included in the model to create enhanced retardation compared to single overload tests. Temperature interaction effects were also considered very important due to the wide temperature ranges of turbine engine components. Oxidation and changing temperature effects were accounted for by accelerating crack growth in regions that had been affected by higher temperatures. Constant amplitude crack growth rates were used as a baseline, upon which load and temperature interaction effects were applied. Experimental data of isolated first order effects was used to calibrate and verify the model. Experimental data provided the means to verify that the model was a good fit to experimental results. The load interaction effects were described by a yield zone model, which included temperature dependent properties. These properties were determined experimentally and were essential in the model's development to include load and temperature contributions. Other interesting factors became apparent through testing. It was seen that specific combinations of strain rate and temperature would lead to serrated yielding, discovered to be the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect. This effect manifested itself as enhanced hardening, leading to unstable strain bursts in specimens that cyclically yielded while changing temperature.

Ziel der Arbeit war es, eine neue Methode zu entwickeln, mit der das zeitabhängige Verformungsverhalten von Hochtemperaturbauteilen unter thermomechanischer Beanspruchung (TMF) im Vorrissstadium besser vorhergesagt werden kann, ohne dass sich der Aufwand gegenüber anderen bekannten Konzepten erhöht.

Ziel der Arbeit war es, eine neue Methode zu entwickeln, mit der das zeitabhängige Verformungsverhalten von Hochtemperaturbauteilen unter thermomechanischer Beanspruchung (TMF) im Vorrissstadium besser vorhergesagt werden kann, ohne dass sich der Aufwand gegenüber anderen bekannten Konzepten erhöht.