Combustion gas turbine components designed for application in power generation equipment are subject to periodic replacement as a result of cracking, damage, and mechanical property degeneration that render them unsafe for continued operation. In view of the significant costs associated with inspecting, servicing, and replacing damaged components, there has been much interest in developing models that not only predict service life, but also estimate the evolved state of the material. This thesis explains manifestations of microstructural damage mechanisms that facilitate fatigue crack nucleation in directionally-solidified (DS) Ni-base superalloy components exposed to elevated temperatures and high stresses. In this study, models were developed and validated for damage and life prediction using DS GTD-111 as the subject material. This material has a chemical composition and grain structure designed to withstand creep damage occurring in blades of gas-powered turbines. The service conditions in these components, which generally exceed 600C, facilitate the onset of one or more damage mechanisms related to fatigue, creep, or environment. The study was divided into an empirical phase, which consisted of experimentally simulating service conditions in fatigue specimens, and a modeling phase, which entailed numerically simulating the stress-strain response of the material. Tests have been carried out to simulate a variety of thermal, mechanical, and environmental operating conditions endured by longitudinally (L) and transversely (T) oriented DS GTD-111. In some cases, tests in extreme environments/temperatures were needed to isolate one or at most two of the mechanisms causing damage. Microstructural examinations were carried out via microscopy. A continuum crystal plasticity model was used to simulate the material behavior in the L and T orientations. The constitutive model was implemented in ABAQUS and a parameter estimation scheme was developed to obtain the material constants. A physically-based model was developed for correlating crack initiation life based on the experimental life data. Assuming a unique relationship between the damage fraction and cycle fraction with respect to cycles to crack initiation for each damage mode, total crack initiation life has been represented in terms of the individual damage components observed at the end state of crack initiation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / High-temperature alloys have been extensively used in many applications, such as furnace muffles, fuel nozzles, heat-treating fixtures, and fuel nozzles. Due to such conditions, these materials should have resistance to cyclic loading, oxidation, and high heat. Although there are numerous prior experimental and theoretical studies, there is insufficient understanding of application of the unified viscoplasticity theory to finite element software for fatigue life prediction. Therefore, the goal of this research is to develop a procedure to implement unified viscoplasticity theory in finite element (FE) model to model the complex material deformation pertaining to thermomechanical load and implement an incremental damage lifetime rule to predict the thermomechanical fatigue life of high-temperature alloys. The objectives of the thesis are: 1. Develop a simplified integrated approach to model the fatigue creep deformation under the framework of ‘unified viscoplasticity theory’ 2. Implement a physics - based crack growth damage model into the framework 3. Predict the deformation using the unified viscoplastic material model for ferritic cast iron (Fe-3.2C-4.0Si-0.6Mo) SiMo4.06 4. Predict the isothermal low cycle fatigue (LCF) and LCF-Creep life using the damage model In this work, a unified viscoplastic material model is applied in a FE model with a combination of Chaboche non-linear kinematic hardening, Perzyna rate model, and static recovery model to model rate-dependent plasticity, stress relaxation, and creep-fatigue interaction. Also, an incremental damage rule has been successfully implemented in a FE model. The calibrated viscoplastic model is able to correlate deformations pertaining to isothermal LCF, LCF-Creep, and thermal-mechanical fatigue (TMF) experimental deformations. The life predictions from the FE model have been fairly good at room temperature (20°C), 400°C, and 550°C under Isothermal LCF (0.00001/s and 0.003/s) and LCF-Creep tests. The material calibration techniques proposed for calibrating the model parameters resulted in a fairly good correlation of FE model derived hysteresis loops with experimental hysteresis, pertaining to Isothermal LCF (ranging from 0.00001/s to 0.003/s), Isothermal LCF-Creep tests (withhold time) and TMF responses. In summary, the method and models developed in this work are capable of simulating material deformation dependency on temperature, strain rates, hold time, therefore, they are capable of modeling creep-stress relaxation and fatigue interaction in high-temperature alloy design.

The low cycle thermo-mechanical fatigue of laser beam welded conventionally cast Inconel 738, directionally solidified René 80 and single crystal René N5 has been evaluated. Results have been compared to gas tungsten arc and baseline alloy conditions. Metallographic examination of laser beam welds and the associated heat affected zone were conducted by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The impact of laser beam welding on thermo-mechanical fatigue properties of Inconel 738, René 80 and René N5 has been evaluated and recommendations for improvements and areas of further research have been presented.

The low cycle thermo-mechanical fatigue of laser beam welded conventionally cast Inconel 738, directionally solidified René 80 and single crystal René N5 has been evaluated. Results have been compared to gas tungsten arc and baseline alloy conditions. Metallographic examination of laser beam welds and the associated heat affected zone were conducted by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The impact of laser beam welding on thermo-mechanical fatigue properties of Inconel 738, René 80 and René N5 has been evaluated and recommendations for improvements and areas of further research have been presented.

Today, there is a great focus on downsizing the engines, this means that the engines are made smaller in size but retain the same power. This in combination with the drive to increase the power of the engines has led to the engine components being exposed to high thermal loads. Today’s engines also use very high cylinder pressure. The high thermal loads in combination with the high cylinder pressure have led to that the engine components are often very close to their material limits, so close that damage is common. This places high requirements on the materials, which makes the material selection a critical part of the engineering process.The main focus in this thesis work has been to develop and investigate a FEM model that can be used to quickly evaluate materials in an exhaust manifold that is exposed to thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF). The model was then used to verify a material selection made for an existing exhaust manifold. One of AVL’s own software programs has also been evaluated, to see if it is a viable alternative to ABAQUS when preforming TMF simulations.The material selection made in this master thesis had the restriction that the exhaust manifold should not fail due to low cycle fatigue (LCF) when exposed to TMF. The goal has been to minimize the mass of the exhaust manifold by selecting a strong material with low density. The reason for this is because today there is a big focus on energy efficient cars with low emission levels. The simplest way to achieve this is to minimize the mass of the vehicle.The simulations conducted in this work has been performed in two different software’s, ABAQUS and AVL Fire M. In AVL Fire M flow simulations and steady-state heat transfer simulations have been performed. In ABAQUS, steady-state and transient heat transfer simulations and stress-strain simulations have been performed.The material selection process showed that Inconel 601 is the most suitable material for an exhaust manifold exposed to TMF. The simulations using Inconel 601 showed that this material will not fail due to LCF.The FEM model that was developed in this thesis was a lot faster compared to the existing TMF model used at AVL.CPU time for the existing model: 14 days 13 hours 14 minutes and 30 seconds (Core time).CPU time for the model developed in this thesis: 1 day 6 hours 37 minutes and 49 seconds (Core time).Two alternative models have been proposed for TMF simulations, one that uses the model developed in this thesis and one that is a combination of the existing model and the model developed in this work.

Dans un contexte général de réduction de la pollution atmosphérique, l’industrie automobile cherche à augmenter le rendement des moteurs thermiques pour en limiter la consommation et les émissions. Pour satisfaire cet objectif, les températures de combustion sont en constante augmentation, ce qui entraîne une augmentation de la sollicitation thermique de la face d’échappement de ces moteurs. Ces pièces n’étant pas refroidies, elles sont exposées à des températures toujours plus élevées, ce qui nécessite une durabilité à haute température accrue des matériaux. Cette thèse a pour objectif d’évaluer la durabilité des pièces de fonderie de la face échappement telles que les collecteurs, corps de turbine ou turbo collecteurs réalisées en fonte GSSiMo+ et en acier inoxydable moulé 1.4826Nb à des températures supérieures à leur température maximale actuelle d’utilisation. Une première étape a porté sur l’effet de la vapeur d’eau sur l’oxydation de la surface pendant des traitements thermiques continus et cycliques et sur l’évolution associée de la microstructure. La seconde étape a porté sur l’effet de ces traitements thermiques sur les propriétés mécaniques à température ambiante. Enfin, un montage de fatigue thermomécanique par dilatation différentielle entre un support en carbure de silicium et une éprouvette métallique en V a été conçu pour être utilisé sur un banc d’oxydation cyclique sous atmosphère contrôlée afin d’étudier les mécanismes de fissuration et d’endommagement en fatigue thermomécanique ainsi que l’effet de l’environnement sur l’initiation de fissures dans ces conditions. L’augmentation de la température maximale des cycles thermiques appliqués de 700 à 800°C pour la fonte GS SiMo+ et de 850 à 950°C pour l’acier 1.4826Nb a pour principale conséquence une accélération de la perte de section par oxydation et une diminution des propriétés mécaniques du fait de l’évolution de la microstructure. Cette perte de section paroxydation est fortement accélérée en présence de vapeur d’eau. Les essais préliminaires réalisés avec le montage de fatigue thermomécanique ont permis de valider son dimensionnement et de mettre en avant les cycles thermomécaniques pour lesquels l’initiation et la propagation de fissures étaient les plus rapides sur des cycles 300-800°C pour la fonte et 300-950°C pour l’acier.Une plus ample campagne d’essai reste à réaliser pour évaluer les mécanismes de fissuration et l’effet de l’environnement en fonction de la température maximale / Due to tightening environmental standards, the automotive industry is constantly trying to improvethe efficiency of the internal combustion engines in order to increase their fuel economy andreduce their carbon emissions. The main way to meet this goal on a turbocharged engine is toincrease the combustion temperature. This leads to increasing exhaust gas temperature andincreasing thermal loads on exhaust manifolds and turbine housings. These components beinguncooled, their maximum temperature is increasing and require better durability at hightemperature. The main objective of this thesis is to evaluate the durability of SiMo spheroidalgraphite iron (SGI) and 1.4826Nb cast stainless steel (CSS) at higher temperature than the actualmaximum operating temperature in order to evaluate their use on engines with higher power. Thefirst part of the study focuses on the effect of water vapor on high temperature oxidation duringcontinuous and cyclic heat treatments and on the underlying microstructure evolution. The secondpart focuses on the effect of these heat treatments on the tensile properties at room temperature.At last, a thermomechanical fatigue test setup has been designed to study the effect ofenvironment on crack initiation during thermomechanical fatigue (TMF). This setup uses thedifference in thermal expansion between silicon carbide and metallic materials to generatemechanical strain and stress in a V-shaped specimen during thermal cycling in a controlledatmosphere cyclic oxidation test bench. Increasing maximum temperature during thermal cyclingfrom 700 to 800°C for SiMo SGI and from 850 to 950°C for 1.4826Nb CSS leads to acceleratedwall thickness loss due to increased oxidation and to a drop in mechanical properties duemicrostructure evolution. The wall thickness loss is further accelerated in humid atmosphere.Preliminary tests performed with the TMF setup demonstrated the design is valid and enabled toidentify the thermomechanical loads leading to faster crack initiation and propagation for 300-800°C thermal cycling of SiMo SGI and 300-950°C thermal cycling of 1.4826Nb CSS. More testsare necessary to identify the crack initiation mechanisms according to the maximum temperatureof the thermal cycle and the atmosphere

Carcaças de transmissão estão geralmente sujeitas a tensões cíclicas geradas durante o funcionamento do motor, e estas tensões são mais críticas a temperaturas elevadas e em tempos prolongados. Os gradientes térmicos induzidos no interior de componentes sujeitos a variações de temperatura durante o período de funcionamento podem levar a tensões e deformações internas e a repetição destes ciclos térmicos pode causar a nucleação e a propagação de trincas por um processo denominado de fadiga termomecânica. Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre as diferenças das propriedades mecânicas de duas ligas de Al-Si fundidas sobre pressão em molde permanente (injetadas), uma identificada como sendo a Liga A, que contém o elemento de liga Mg, e a Liga B que não contém o Mg, para uso em carcaças de transmissão de veículos automotivos. Neste estudo foram realizados ensaios mecânicos de dureza, de tração e de fadiga isotérmica e anisotérmica e análises fratográficas e microestruturais por microscopia ótica e eletrônica de varredura. A Liga A apresentou resistência mecânica superior à Liga B em toda a faixa de temperatura analisada, apesar da maior quantidade de defeitos de fundição existentes nesta liga. Foi utilizada a metodologia S-N, cujos dados foram inferidos a partir dos ensaios de fadiga termomecânica. A Liga A apresenta desempenho ligeiramente superior à Liga B, especialmente para baixos níveis de tensão aplicados. Entretanto, para ensaios executados sob controle de deformação, não houve diferença significativa na resistência à fadiga entre as duas ligas. / Gear Box housings are usually subjected to cyclic stresses generated during engine operation. Such stresses are more critical at high temperatures and long times. Thermal gradients induced within the components submitted to variation of temperature during working may result in internal stresses and strains. Thermal cycling can result in crack nucleation and propagation by the process of thermomechanical fatigue (TMF). The main aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of Mg content on the mechanical properties of permanent mold cast Al-Si alloys. Two alloys, one containing Mg addition (\"A\" alloy) and another without Mg (\"B\" alloy) were tested under strain temperature TMF controlled conditions. In this study were performed mechanical tests of hardness, tensile strength, and anisotropic / isothermal fatigue and microstrutural / photographic analysis by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Using the S-N approach inferred from the TMF results, \"A\" alloy (Mg-added) presented a slightly better performance then \"B\" alloy especially at low stress amplitude levels. However, in the TMF testing conditions was not observed any significant difference in fatigue resistance for both alloys.

Carcaças de transmissão estão geralmente sujeitas a tensões cíclicas geradas durante o funcionamento do motor, e estas tensões são mais críticas a temperaturas elevadas e em tempos prolongados. Os gradientes térmicos induzidos no interior de componentes sujeitos a variações de temperatura durante o período de funcionamento podem levar a tensões e deformações internas e a repetição destes ciclos térmicos pode causar a nucleação e a propagação de trincas por um processo denominado de fadiga termomecânica. Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre as diferenças das propriedades mecânicas de duas ligas de Al-Si fundidas sobre pressão em molde permanente (injetadas), uma identificada como sendo a Liga A, que contém o elemento de liga Mg, e a Liga B que não contém o Mg, para uso em carcaças de transmissão de veículos automotivos. Neste estudo foram realizados ensaios mecânicos de dureza, de tração e de fadiga isotérmica e anisotérmica e análises fratográficas e microestruturais por microscopia ótica e eletrônica de varredura. A Liga A apresentou resistência mecânica superior à Liga B em toda a faixa de temperatura analisada, apesar da maior quantidade de defeitos de fundição existentes nesta liga. Foi utilizada a metodologia S-N, cujos dados foram inferidos a partir dos ensaios de fadiga termomecânica. A Liga A apresenta desempenho ligeiramente superior à Liga B, especialmente para baixos níveis de tensão aplicados. Entretanto, para ensaios executados sob controle de deformação, não houve diferença significativa na resistência à fadiga entre as duas ligas. / Gear Box housings are usually subjected to cyclic stresses generated during engine operation. Such stresses are more critical at high temperatures and long times. Thermal gradients induced within the components submitted to variation of temperature during working may result in internal stresses and strains. Thermal cycling can result in crack nucleation and propagation by the process of thermomechanical fatigue (TMF). The main aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of Mg content on the mechanical properties of permanent mold cast Al-Si alloys. Two alloys, one containing Mg addition (\"A\" alloy) and another without Mg (\"B\" alloy) were tested under strain temperature TMF controlled conditions. In this study were performed mechanical tests of hardness, tensile strength, and anisotropic / isothermal fatigue and microstrutural / photographic analysis by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Using the S-N approach inferred from the TMF results, \"A\" alloy (Mg-added) presented a slightly better performance then \"B\" alloy especially at low stress amplitude levels. However, in the TMF testing conditions was not observed any significant difference in fatigue resistance for both alloys.

Understanding the effects of aged microstructures on the thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) properties of nickel-base (Ni-base) superalloys remains unclear. Few experimental results are currently available in this area, and of the limited results available, some promote aged microstructures as beneficial, while others as detri- mental. The importance of these aged structures arises from the fact that when components used in the hot sections of gas turbine engines remain in service for ex- tended periods of time, the local temperature and stress provides the catalyst for the evolution of the microstructure. An experimental assessment of a negative misfit directionally solidified (DS) Ni- base superalloy was undertaken to characterize the aging kinetics and understand the influence of the TMF cycle temperature extremum, temperature-load phasing, mean strain, creep-fatigue, orientation effects, and microstructure on TMF fatigue crack initiation. To determine the effects of aging on the TMF response, the as-heat- treated alloy was artificially aged to three unique microstructures identified in the aging kinetics study. The experiments revealed that not all aged microstructures are detrimental to the fatigue life behavior. Specifically, when the γ′ precipitates age in a manner to align themselves parallel to the axis of the applied stress, an increase in the fatigue life over that of the as-heat-treated microstructure is observed for out-of-phase TMF with dwells. To extend the experimental understanding of the aged microstructures into ser- vice component design and life analysis, a temperature-dependent crystal viscoplas- ticity (CVP) constitutive model is developed to capture the sensitivity of the aged microstructure through embedding additional variables associated with the current state of the γ′ particles. As a result of the adaptations, the CVP model has the ability to describe the long-term aging effects of directional coarsening relevant to the analysis industrial gas turbine hot section components.

The thesis originates from a need to meet stricter environmental regulations for Scania, to reduce fuel consumption and emission from heavy-vehicles. Scania aims to fulfil these requirements by increasing combustion pressure and temperature. These conditions are tougher for the engine components and they shorten their lifetime. This thesis aims to improve Scania’s ability to increase the lifetime of a heavy-vehicle exhaust manifold, an engine component that collects exhaust from several engine cylinders into one pipe. This was done by conducting a material comparison and a parameter study, both used the FEM software Abaqus CAE. The material comparison consisted of three ferritic and austenitic ductile cast irons (SiMo51, SiMo1000 and Ni-resist) subjected to thermal stress. Their max stress was compared for two thermo-mechanical fatigue cases, out-of-phase and in-phase. A parameter study was also conducted to clarify the influence of thermal conductivity, thermalexpansion, Young’s modulus and yield strength on max stress for OP and IP in the exhaust manifold. The FEM simulation results from the parameter study were used to create functions that can be used to decide how to treat/process a material to minimise the stress in the exhaust manifold. They can also be used in material selection to choose a material that minimises stress. The research questions and their shortened answers can be seen below. 1. Which of SiMo51, SiMo1000 and Ni-resist produces the lowest tensile stresses? ForOP, SiMo1000 produced a slightly lower max principal stress than SiMo51. For IP, Ni-resistproduced the lowest max principal stress by a large margin. 2. How do different material properties affect the maximum stress during operation of thegiven component? Thermal conductivity has a decreasing relation to max stress. Thermalexpansion and Young’s modulus have a similar relation to max stress, stress increases forboth properties as they increase. A decreased yield strength decreases the max stress forstresses above the yield limit but has no effect on stress below it. 3. How should an objective function to minimise max stress in the component with regard to material properties be expressed? functions of OP and IP can be seen in the actual abstract.