Analysis of Fatigue-Crack Growth in a High-Strength Steel—Part II: Variable Amplitude Block Loading Effects

To investigate load sequencing effects in fatigue-crack growth, surface flaw or part-through crack (PTC) specimens of a high-strength pressure vessel steel were subjected to variable-amplitude cyclic loading. Blocks of different load sequences and stress-ratio (R) patterns and cyclic lengths were employed. Crack-growth rate (da/dN) data were analyzed within the framework of linear elastic fracture mechanics using the stress-intensity range parameter, ΔK. The da/dN data were found to correlate well with a seauence-independent formulation of ΔK derived using nominal mean stress, σ_m, for the loading blocks studied. However, it proved necessary to utilize the normalizing relationship discussed in “Analysis of Fatigue-Crack Growth in a High-Strength Steel—Part I: Stress Level and Stress Ratio Effects at Constant Amplitude”, to account for stress-ratio effects observed under the variable-amplitude block loading. Only the sequential block pattern of high-low-intermediate produced a significant crackgrowth retardation. Predictions made using the sequence-independent normalizing procedure compare favorably with those using the Willenborg model. It is concluded that useful predictions for structural life under variable-amplitude cyclic loading sequences can be made for a wide variety of high-strength pressure vessel applications using sequence-independent analysis procedures.