High-Cycle Fatigue Life and Strength Prediction for Medium-Carbon Bainitic Steels

High-cycle fatigue (HCF) behaviors of medium-carbon bainitic steels with various inclusion sizes and microstructural features were studied using the rotating-bending fatigue test. Here, the medium-carbon bainitic steels with different melting processes were treated by three heat treatment routes incorporating bainite formation, namely bainite-based quenching plus partitioning (BQ&P), bainite austempering (BAT) and disturbed bainite austempering, DBAT. The interior inclusion-induced crack initiation (IICI) and noninclusion-induced crack initiation (NIICI) modes were found after fatigue failure. The fracture surface of IICI is characterized by a fish-eye surrounding a fine granular area, FGA in the vicinity of an inclusion. In contrast, a microfacet, instead of an inclusion, is found at the center of FGA for the NIICI fracture surface. The predications of fatigue strength and life were performed on the two crack initiation modes based on fracture surface analysis. The results showed that a majority of fatigue life is consumed within the FGA for both the IICI and NIICI failure modes. The fatigue strength of the NIICI-fatigued samples can be conveniently predicted via the two parameters of the hardness of the sample and the size of the microfacet.

Automated summary

The study focuses on the high-cycle fatigue behaviors of medium-carbon bainitic steels. Two crack initiation modes, inclusion-induced crack initiation (IICI) and noninclusion-induced crack initiation (NIICI), were identified after fatigue failure. Predictions of fatigue strength and life were made based on fracture surface analysis.