Heaven’s Light Is Our Guide

Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh

Department of Mechanical Engineering

A Thesis Report on
Observation of Fatigue Crack Initiation and Propagation of
SS-302 under constant load amplitude

This report is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Rajshahi University of Engineering
& Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Supervised by Submitted by
Dr. Md. Nurul Islam Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique
Associate Proffessor Roll No: 092062
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology Abdus Salam Sarkar
Roll No: 092065

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 Heaven’s light is our guide

Rajshahi University of Engineering &Technology, Bangladesh

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Certificate
This is to certify that the thesis entitle “Observation of Fatigue Crack Initiation and Propagation
of SS-302 under constant load amplitude” has been carried out by Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique, Roll:
092062 and Abdus Salam Sarkar, Roll: 092065 under my supervision in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh.

Supervised by Signature of the Students

……………..................................................... ………………………………………………

Dr. MD. Nurul Islam Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique

Associate Professor Roll No.: 092062
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Rajshahi University of Engineering &
Technology, Rajshahi – 6204, Bangladesh. .……………………………………………

Abdus Salam Sarkar

Roll No.: 092065

External Examiner Counter Signed

……………………………… ………………………………
Dr. Md. Shamim Akhter Dr. Md. Emdadul Hoque
Professor Professor & Head
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineeri
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Rajshahi University of Engineering &
Technology Technology
Rajshahi – 6204, Bangladesh. Rajshahi – 6204, Bangladesh.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At first, all the praise almighty Allah who gives us light of knowledge and giving us the
opportunity to complete this project. The authors would like to express deepest gratitude to the
honorable supervisor, Dr. Md Nurul Islam, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical
Engineering for his valuable suggestion, proper guidance, constant encouragement, sincere
advice and kind helping in many ways throughout this project.
The authors also wish to convey thanks to Dr. Md. Emdadul Hoque, Professor and Head of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering for providing all the necessary facilities and equipment
for the successful completion of this project.
We express our cordial thanks to Vice Chancellor & Professor Dr Mohd Rafiqul Alam Beg,
RUET and Professor Md. Rokonuzzaman, of Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rajshahi
University of Engineering and Technology for their constructive advice to make success in this
project & thesis work.
Delightful thanks to all of my department teachers, lab assistant of metallurgy, machine shop
and all of our class mates for their co-operation.

Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Authors

Bangladesh.
December, 2014

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 ABSTRACT

The purpose of our study is to detect the fatigue crack initiation. This is done by observing the
material surface by the optical microscope. Low cycle fatigue crack initiation process is
associated with the slip band which emergence at the free surface of metal. After applying the
cyclic load we observed the length of the slip band by optical microscope on the surface of the
specimen which was polished by the emery papers of grade C320CW, C400CW, C600CW,
C800CW, C1000CW, C1500CW, C1800CW, C2000CW & C3000CW. We used two different
stress amplitudes of 562.4 MPa & 492.1 MPa. PSB formed at 3000 cycle and 4000 cycle and
crack initiates at 4750 cycle & 9000 cycle for 562.4 MPa & 492.1 MPa respectively.
Experiment was performed by using reciprocating machine and for ss-302 of rectangular cross
section.

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 NOMENCLATURE

Title Symbol

Width of sample b
Total elongation d
Load F
Height h
Length Ls
Strain e
Stress σ
Yield strength σy
Ultimate tensile strength σB
Modulus of elasticity E
Plastic strain amplitude Δεp
Fatigue ductility coefficient εf
Fatigue ductility exponent c
Number of reversals to failure N

Amplitude of alterning stress

Fatigue strength coefficient

Fatigue strength exponent b
Section modulus S
Distance X

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure no. Title Page no.

2.1 Location of the three steps in a fatigue fracture 14
2.2 The surface of a fatigue fracture. 14
2.3 Beachmarks or "clamshell pattern" 15
2.4 An example of the striations found in fatigue fracture 15
2.5 Formation of slip in polycrystals during cyclic deformation 15
2.6 Slip Bands 16
3.1 Ferritic microstructure 21
3.2 Martensitic microstructure 22
3.3 Austenitic microstructure 22
3.4 Duplex microstructure 23
4.1 Dimension of the specimen for tensile test 25
4.2 Dimension of the specimen for fatigue test 25
4.3 Arrangement for tensile test 26
4.4 Arrangement for Deflection test 26
4.5 Deflection adjustment in fatigue testing machine 27
4.6 Load application in fatigue testing machine 27
4.7 Fatigue Testing Machine 28
4.8 Power transmission system of fatigue testing machine 28
5.1 Stress Vs Strain curve of SS-302 30
5.2 Microscopic image of specimen-1 for 224.1N load 32
5.3 Crack Length Vs Cycles for specimen-1 33
5.2 Microscopic image of specimen-2 for 196.1N load 36
5.3 Crack Length Vs Cycles for specimen-2 36

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table no. Title Page no.

3.1 Chemical composition of SS-302 24

3.2 Mechanical Properties of SS-302 24
5.1 Data of Tensile test 29
5.2 Data of Fatigue test for specimen-1 33
5.3 Data of Fatigue test for specimen-2 36

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 CONTENTS

Title Page No.

Title of the thesis i
Certificate ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abstract iv
Nomenclature v
List of figures vi
List of tables vii
Contents viii

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Literature review 2
1.3 Objectives 3
1.4 Limitations 4

2 THEORETICAL ASPECTS
2.1 Fatigue 5
2.2 Low cycle fatigue 5
2.2.1 Advantage & disadvantage of LCF 6
2.3 High cycle fatigue 6
2.3.1 Advantages & disadvantages of HCF 6
2.4 Bridge between high and low cycle fatigue 6
2.5 Characteristics of fatigue 7
2.6 Factors affecting fatigue 7
2.7 Importance of low cycle fatigue test 9
2.8 Strain of material 10
2.9 Universal strain-life equation 10
2.10 Types of strain 11
2.10.1 Elastic strain 11

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 2.10.2 Plastic strain 11
2.11 Plasticity in material 12
2.12 Fatigue failure 12
2.12.1 Crack initiation 12
2.12.2 Crack propagation 13
2.12.3 Fracture 13
2.13 Formation of slip band 15
2.14 Material type and crack growth prediction 16
2.15 Detecting and measuring cracks 16
2.16 Stress concentration 17
2.16.1 Causes 17
2.16.2 Prevention 18

3 MATERIAL AND PROPERTIES

3.1 Steel 19
3.2 Stainless Steel 19
3.2.1 Benefits of Stainless Steel 19
3.2.2 Properties 20
3.2.3 Commercial value of stainless steel 20
3.2.4 Classification of stainless steel 21
3.3 Material Selection 23
3.4 Properties of the material 23

4 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE & METHODOLOGIES

4.1 specimen preparation for tensile test 25
4.2 Specimen preparation for fatigue test 25
4.3 Procedure for Tensile Test 26
4.4 Procedure for deflection test 26
4.5 Procedure for fatigue test 27
4.6 Fatigue testing machine 27
4.7 Power Transmission system of the fatigue testing machine 28

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5 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
5.1 Determination of ultimate and yield stress 29
5.2 Determination of load to be applied on the specimen 30
5.3 Observation of crack initiation and propagation 32
5.3.1 Specimen-1 32
5.3.2 Specimen-2 35

6 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Discussion 38
6.2 Conclusions 38

Reference 39

Appendix
A1: Determination of load to be applied on the specimen 41
A2: Specification of fatigue testing machine 42