ROUGHNESS AS SMALL SURFACE DEFECTS AND MICROSTRUCTURE CHANGES IN FATIGUE PROCESS

University Dunrea de Jos Galai, ROMANIA

ABSTRACT Examination in detail using X-radiation diffraction of the dislocation substructure in fine-grained S355JR steels plate specimen fatigued with constant amplitude were carried out to investigate the correlation between roughness surface and the underlying dislocation substructure. The results indicate that samples fatigued with constant amplitude well into the saturation region develop a small-scale surface roughness. KEYWORDS: dislocation, X-radiation, roughness surface

1. INTRODUCTION
It is known that roughness of surface plays a negative role in the fatigue life of materials. Initiation of fatigue cracks occurs because surface irregularities (surface roughness) that act as stress concentrators. Initially flat surfaces, subject to fatigue loading, develop roughness in the form of intrusions and extrusions at the surface, offering possibility for the formation of cracks [1]. These fatigue cracks grow, the largest of which then turns out to be the critical fatigue crack propagating through the material, causing failure of the structure. Many researchers have demonstrated that, the intrusions and extrusions are associated with slip bands. The slip bands form as a result of instabilities in the well-developed dislocation at plastic strain amplitudes higher than about 10-4 [2]. The surface roughness, which is considered the initiator of the cracks are generated at slip bands sites. Slip bands are observed more frequently in single crystals oriented for single glide than in multiple-slip single crystals or in poly crystals it has been argued that the structural instability of the matrix and its transformation to slip band is caused by the interaction of secondary dislocations with the preexistent substructure formed by the dominant slip system [3]. It demonstrated experimentally that cyclic loading leads to the formation of dislocation

structures in metals and the characteristic length of dislocation structures is between 0.1m and 1m.

2. EXPERIMNETAL PROCEDURE
The scope of the determinations was that of evaluating the variation of the modifications at microstructural level on the basis of the time variations of the micro-geometry parameters of the superficial layer. The evaluation of the diffraction spectrum was made at different time levels during the entire fatigue tests. Analysis of X-radiation has been conducted and applied to various specimens such as polycrystalline powders, single crystals, polycrystalline crystals, and single phase materials to reveal microstructural details such as local density of geometrically necessary dislocations, , and their density tensor, dislocation character, and crystal size [4,5,6]. After each test at the variable fatigue demand of the test samples, these were exposed to the irradiation of X rays in order to obtain the diffraction spectrum appropriate to the ferrite perlite phase from the steel S355JR EN 10027 from which the samples were executed.

Fig. 1. The irradiation diagram of the test samples The irradiation diagram of the test samples presented in figure 1, allows the obtaining of information regarding the structure of the ferrite perlite phase: the medium size of the mosaic blocks after the direction [110], (<D>[110]); the modification of the interplanetary distances after the same direction [110], (d/n); the modification of the orientation degree of the mosaic blocks in the crystal graphic direction [110] and the dislocation density from the crystalline network. d)

3. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1. THE EVOLUTION OF THE MEDIUM SIZES OF THE MOSAIC BLOCKS

e)

a) f) Fig. 2. The evolution of the medium size of the mosaic blocks <D>[110] In figure 2 position a, b, c, it is presented the evolution of the medium size of the mosaic blocks <D>[110] according to the type of fatigue load for a single level of roughness and three levels of the load, and positions d, e, f, for the same load level and three roughness levels, Tab1. The determination of the medium size of the mosaic blocks after the crystal graphic direction [110] is made with the help of the relation (1): (1) where: - the length of the X radiation wave for analysis, =1.790; (110)- the physical width of the c)

b)

diffraction line (110); - the angle position of the diffraction line (110) in the diffraction spectrum. Tab. 1.Surface roughness of the plate specimens Specimen R1-S355JR R2- S355JR R3- S355JR The average surface roughness Ra = 0.050.1m Ra = 0.20.3m Ra = 1.02.0m

of the surface and the load applied (Figure 3, position ac). In both situations an initial increase is produced then a decrease of this parameter. The modification of the inter-planar distance of the mosaic blocks leads to movements of dislocations by different mechanisms and following to deformations of the crystals, of size (3).

It is found that the medium size of the mosaic blocks is influenced both by the roughness value as well as the fatigue load so, in the case of low values of roughness level Fig.2.a of the superficial layer, an increase tendency of the medium sizes of the mosaic blocks is seen in time to all three load levels (1=375Mpa, 2= 450Mpa, 3=540MPa). This increase tendency takes places following the fact that the initial state of the crystalline network is disturbed by the repeated processes of processing the surface necessary to reaching the quality of the surface. The fatigue load for the three levels of load , leads to a general relaxation of the crystalline networks. The roughness, considered as concentrator of tensions, in this low level case, makes that the evolution of the structure parameters not to have clear substantial modifications. In case of great roughness of the superficial layer (Figure 2, position df) it is found a decrease tendency of the medium sizes of the mosaic blocks with the time for the three levels of load. In this situation the high level of the asperity heights leads to intense tension concentrators and appropriate to obvious modifications of the structural state by increasing the level of the local tensions and appropriate to the breakage degree of the mosaic blocks. Comparatively, the structural modifications are influenced in a higher degree, figure2, position ac by the level of roughness than the load level. It is seen like this that at local level, the influence of the roughness level over the local concentration of the tensions leads to structural substantial modifications.

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b)

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3.2. THE VARIATION OF THE INTERPLANAR DISTANCE

Regarding the inter-planar distance variation d/n, according to the duration of the fatigue load for different level of roughness, respectively different loads, it is seen a tendency of modification of the inter-planar distance in time, both with the roughness

d)

3.3. THE EVOLUTION OF THE DISLOCATION DENSITY

Of the things shown it results that the level of the dislocation density constitute main influence factors of the degradation by fatigue. Experimentally the level of the dislocation density, from the mosaic blocks of the ferrite perlite phase can estimate with the relation (5). e) (5) where: IBg- the intensity of the diffraction line fund (220); Imax- the maximum absolute intensity of the diffraction line (220).

f) Fig. 3. The variation of the inter-planar distance d/n(110) of the mosaic blocks

(3) where: x- the moving distance of the dislocation; ds- the length of the dislocation; A- the Surface of the sliding plan; L- the side of the crystal; B- the moving distance of the superior part of the crystal in comparison to the inferior part of the crystal; V- the volume of the crystal. Because ds/V represents the dislocation density , the deformation is proportional with the dislocation density under the form (4): (4) So it results modifications of the crystal deformations which lead to the cold hardening processes followed by the appearance of micro-cracks in the sliding plans. Increasing the size of the irregularities and so following the increase of the concentration level of the tensions, on one side, and the increase of the exterior tension on the other represents factors which influence the level of the plastic deformations and of the dislocation density as initiators of the degradation.

a)

b)

c)

(6) The experiments have shown that at low level of the exterior loads agglomerations of dislocations are produced in the area of the obstacles which leads to their high density levels. Today there are many experimental proves that confirm the hypothesis after which the cracks are formed by the concentration of the dislocations to the obstacles from the sliding plans. According to this conception a dislocation represents at anatomic scale a macro-crack which can develop by the union with other dislocations of the same sign following their concentration at the obstacles pre-existing on the sliding plans or to the obstacles which are formed on these plans in the sliding process. In the case of some higher levels of tensions and the energetic level of the dislocations the relation (6) is greater, crossing the blockages on their path, and so their density level is lower. These types of dislocations which come out on the free surface of the metal under the form of structures of extrusion and intrusion offering source for the formatting of cracks, which eventually cause failure. The high level of roughness leads to local concentrations of the local tensions and appropriately to high densities of dislocations (Figure 4, position f) and so high level of the cumulative degradation state.

d)

e)

3.4. THE INTEGRAL INTENSITY IINT, AFTER THE CRYSTAL GRAPHIC DIRECTION [110]
The exterior loads as well as the level of mechanical processing of the materials produce fragmentations of the crystal grains as well as disorientations of the mosaic blocks leading to an increase in the disorientation level, forming important internal tensions both at the elementary cell level (tensions of the order III) at the level of the crystal grains (tensions of the order II) as well as at the level of the mosaic blocks (internal tensions of the order I). The analysis of the orientation degree of the mosaic blocks Iint after the crystal graphic direction [110], shows that the variation of the orientation degree of the mosaic blocks has a decreasing tendency in report to the load time both for different values of the roughness (Figure 5, position df) and in the cases of the loads at different levels (Figure 5, position ac). In the case of low levels of the loads of the orientation degree of the mosaic blocks, for all roughness levels, was situated within the levels of the same medium values. The more important differences appear in the same moment with the increase of the load level.

f) Fig. 4. Variation of the level of the dislocation density So, figure 4 was calculated according to the relation (2), the level of the dislocation density from the mosaic blocks of the ferrite pearlitic phase of the steel, to different levels of time of fatigue for different level of roughness and for one same load (Figure 4, position df), respectively different loads to one level of roughness (Figure 4, position ac). The exterior loads produce in the sliding plan forces which act over the dislocations determining their movement . Regarding the level of the exterior loads which act over the dislocations, if the exterior force determines on the sliding plans the tangential component , the force which acts on the sliding plan will be A, (A represents the surface of the sliding plan). The mechanical work necessary for the movement of the dislocation elements ds with the distance x is equal with the product between the force A and the movement, resulting:

a)

f) Fig.5. The variation of the orientation degree of the mosaic blocks

4. CONCLUSION
The analysis of the variation of the fine structure parameters have a decisive influence of the roughness parameter levels over their evolution. The increase of the roughness degree influencing at local level the concentration mode of the tensions leads to levels of variations of the fine structure parameters which intensify the mechanical degradation level of the increase of the degradation degree by fatigue of the superficial layer. The level of the mechanical loads has an action in the same sense, as well as the roughness level the two factors cumulating in the sense of intesifying the degradation process by fatigue.

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REFERENCES
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