steels and sintered mixes of high-speed steel/low-alloy steel is providing a basis for understanding failure mechanisms in rolling contact

fatigue, and the role of porosity. Steels used include T15, En24 and M50. Graphs, photomicrographs. 2 refs.

Fatigue crack characterization by ultrasonic inspection. Rehbein, D.K.,

T h o m p s o n , R.B. and Buck, O. ASTM J. Test. Eva/. Nov. 1990 18 (6), 4 2 1 - 4 2 9 The experimental configuration of the ultrasonic measurements is such that a fatigue crack is illuminated by a longitudinal wave incident perpendicular to the crack face and focussed in the plane of the crack. The longitudinal wave is partially transmitted by the closure zone and picked up by another focussed receiver transducer. By changing the angular orientation of this receiver, longitudinal or transverse polarized waves diffracted in the closure zone can be detected. By spectral analysis, translation of the sample with respect to the detection system and rotation of the receiver, one can monitor the frequency, spatial and angular dependences of the crack transmissivity. These data are described by a spring model, which replaces the topological description of the closure region and provide the spatial distribution of the average diameter, d, and the average separation, C, of the contacts. From this contact topology and the flow pressure (three times the ultimate tensile strength) of the material (e.g., 2024-T651 AI), the residual stress field in the wake of the crack is deduced. These results agree well with X-ray diffraction measurements. Furthermore, the shielding stress intensity factor is estimated using these results for a number of fatigue cracks grown under a variety of loading conditions. If shielding is taken into account the effects of load excursions on fatigue crack propagation can be estimated with reasonable accuracy. 20 refs.

Bore inspection and life evaluation of vintage steam turbine/generator rotors. Jhansale, H.R. and McCann, D.R.
A S T M J. Test. Eva/. Nov. 1990 18 (6), 4 4 6 - 4 5 3
The approaches and methodology used for bore inspection and life evaluation/extension of vintage steam turbine spindles and generator rotors for continued service are described. The non-destructive inspections, including visual, magnetic particle and ultrasonic, together with flaw sizing procedures, are described. Life evaluation and extension approaches include conventional and finite-element stress and thermal analyses, state-of-the-art material evaluation studies, and fatigue-, creep- and fracture-mechanics-based techniques. Based on the experience of these ongoing studies on over 250 spindles and rotors (manufactured by Allis-Chalmers, General Electric and Westinghouse), two essential recommendations are made. Firstly, it is best to evaluate each vintage spindle/rotor on a case-by-case basis instead of a historical and generic basis. Secondly, most of the vintage spindles/rotors can continue to be used safely and with a high degree of reliability with proper periodic inspections and evaluations and life extension measures as needed. Graphs, photomicrographs. 8 refs.

Imaging short fatigue cracks with the gel electrode. Baxter, W.J.
ASTM J. Test. Eval. Nov. 1990 18 (6), 4 3 0 - 4 3 8
A new non-destructive inspection tool is described for tracking and recording crack growth in test coupons and structural components. The current state of development of this device, the gel electrode, is reviewed. This hand-held inspection probe can image surface fatigue cracks in Fe (e.g., 1008, 1065 carbon steels), Ti, magnesium (e.g., EK30) and AI (e.g., 6061-T6) alloys. Fatigue cracks only approximately 10 2 mm long can be detected, a sensitivity that surpasses that of commercially available techniques by a factor of 100. Images of short fatigue cracks are shown for each of the above alloy systems. The examples are selected to illustrate the good visibility and repeatability of the images, as is required to monitor crack growth. Included are quantitative measurements of the growth kinetics of a short (10 I-1 ram) crack in a prototype component. Graphs, photomicrographs. 9 refs.

Probability, confidence and sample size in fatigue testing. Parida, N.,

Das, S.K., Gope, P.C., M o h a n t y , O . N

ASTM J. Test. EvaL Nov. 1990 18 (6), 3 8 5 - 3 8 9

The sample size necessary for a statistically significant life test has been determined. and a comparison of actual and predicted lives has been made for a desired probability of survival with a given confidence level, statistical error, and coefficient of variation at different stress levels. This approach has been used for cases where data follow a log-normal distribution. On the basis of this approximation, it is possible to estimate the lower tolerance limit using a minimum number of samples. It has also been concluded that, whatever the sample size, the estimate always results in some error, Ro, which mainly depends on the confidence level, the probability of survival and the stress level, and that, beyond a specified sample size, the estimation of fatigue life is independent of sample size. The test material was a low-alloy steel. Graphs. 5 refs.

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Int J Fatigue July 1991