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End of Module Exam - FMFA - 510

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37 views6 pages

End of Module Exam - FMFA - 510

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nelsonosman2023
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Malawi University of Science and Technology

Malawi Institute of Technology


End of Module Examination

Metallurgy and Materials Engineering – Year 5

FRACTURE MECHANICS AND FAILURE ANALYSIS


(FMFA – 510)

15th February 2019 Time: 13:30 – 16:30 (3 hours)

Examiner: J.J. Ellard

Internal Moderator: M. K. Line

INSTRUCTIONS

1. This paper contains 6 pages including the cover page. Please check!
2. There are five questions. Answer all the questions.
3. Each question carries 20 marks.
4. Use of scientific calculators is allowed provided that they are not
programmable and cannot store information.

Do not turn over this paper until instructed to do so.

1
Question 1

a. Figure Q1 shows two micrographs which were taken after a Charpy


impact test, one at room temperature, the other at liquid nitrogen
temperature.

Micrograph (a)

Micrograph (b)

Figure Q1

2
i. Describe the main features on each micrograph. [4 Marks]

ii. Which of the two images indicates


1. brittle fracture [1 Mark]
2. ductile fracture? [1 Mark]

iii. Why might these images look the way they do? [2 Marks]

iv. Which is the room temperature and which is the low


temperature image? [2 Marks]

b. Table 1 shows data that were gathered from a series of Charpy


impact tests on a tempered 4140 steel alloy.

Table 1: Charpy Impact Test results for 4140 steel.

i. Plot the data as impact energy versus temperature. [8 Marks]

ii. Determine a ductile-to-brittle transition temperature as that


temperature at which the impact energy is 70 J. [2 Marks]

3
Question 2

a. A wing component on an aircraft is fabricated from an aluminum


alloy that has a plane strain fracture toughness of 40 MPa √𝑚𝑚. It
has been determined that fracture results at a stress of 365 MPa
when the maximum internal crack length is 2.5 mm. For this same
component and alloy, compute the stress level at which fracture
will occur for a critical internal crack length of 4.0 mm. [5 Marks]

b. A plate of steel with a central through-thickness flaw of length 16


mm is subjected to a stress of 350 MPa normal to the crack plane. If
the yield strength of the material is 1400 MPa. Assuming the plate
to be infinitely large, determine the following:

i. Plastic-zone size [3 Marks]

ii. Effective stress-intensity level at the crack tip [2 Marks]

c. With the aid of a sketch, explain why 𝐾𝐾𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 is a conservative lower


limit of material toughness in any given engineering application.
[4 Marks]

d. Three steels are under consideration for construction of a pressure


vessel. The steels and their properties are listed in Table 2.

Steel Fracture toughness (MPa√𝒎𝒎) Yield Strength (MPa)


B212 77 283
B533 95 427
B543 181 586

Table 2: Properties of steel.

If the maximum allowable mean stress level is 75% of the yield


stress, rank the three steels in order of crack tolerance. [6 Marks]

4
Question 3

a. Explain the phenomenon of T-curve (or R-curve) fracture


behaviour of engineering materials, including a definition of the
criterion for fracture. [10 marks]

b. Describe the toughening mechanism observed in zirconia


ceramics and explain how this leads to the observed T-curve
behaviour. [10 Marks]

Question 4

a. A metallurgist produced steel flat bars by melting the ingot in air.


One of the flat bars was tested for fracture toughness. It was found
that the material possessed very low fracture toughness.

i. What went wrong with the production process? [3 Marks]

ii. What advice would you give to the metallurgist to enhance


the fracture toughness of the flat bars? [4 Marks]

b. Briefly, describe the cleaning up procedure for the following


materials to enhance fracture toughness:
i. Ferrous alloys [4 Marks]

ii. Aluminium alloys [4 Marks]

c. Explain the role of structural refinement on toughness. [5 Marks]

Question 5

a. You have been hired to investigate the cause of a mild steel shaft
failure on a certain machine. Your first step would be to establish
by visual analysis of the shaft’s fracture surface whether the shaft
was supporting a direct tensile load or a cyclic load. Describe in
detail the features you would be looking for. [5 Marks]

5
b. Compare the differences in fatigue lifetimes for three components
that experienced crack extension from 2 to 10 mm, versus where
the initial crack length was four times smaller or where the final
crack length was four times larger. Assume that crack growth rates
follow a Paris relation where m = 4. Comment on the sensitivity of
fatigue lifetime. [15 Marks]

END OF QUESTION PAPER

USEFUL INFORMATION

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