PROCEEDINGS OF THE 3” INTERNATIONAL GONFERENCE POWER TRANSMISSIONS ‘99 1-2 GergueR 2909, CHALKIOIKI, GREECE Bot A. MINAILIDIB FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF WELDED AXLE CASINGS PROVIDING WELD END FAILURE, Michail MALIKOUTSAKIS, Alexandros SAVAIDIS, Christos SALPISTIS, Georgios SAVAIDIS Abstract: Structures such as axles of motor trucks are sensitive to fatigue loading due fo their construction and loading conditions. The welded components that form the mideseries rear axle under investigation are categorized as thin. ‘walled, with structure thicknesses 1.5<1<25mm. Ths fact makes thelr influence dominant for the durability of the struc ture in addition tothe operational loading conditions, Thus, a complete and reliable experimental investigation should include the assessment of the basic fatigue life curves (Wahler curves) as well as data which correspond to sequences simulating the varlable loading conditions (Gafner curves). This second step is essential in order to verify and enhance the fatigue life prediction accuracy of conclusions reached by the use of the frst step. This paper focuses to the deter~ rmination of the curves mentioned for characterste load cases that occur to such structures. Wohler curves for three ferent types of loading (vertical, ongtudinal and torsional loading) are presented. Firs fatigue life data at variable amplitude loading are also obtained and assessed. n addition, the stress Behaviour in the weld regions under the above mentioned loading condition is determined based on strain measurements by means of strain gages «and allowable cy- lie stress values are derived forthe design of such components. The experimental data base achieved can be used for the verification of calculation models fr the fatigue assessment of welded structures. Keywords: Fatigue, Welds, Axles, Variable amplitude loading 1, INTRODUCTION In general, an experimental investigation of fatigue life of ‘components should take into consideration numerous fac- tots which influence the service life of structures. Mate- rial properties, geometry and service conditions are usu ally explicitly determined when dealing with industrial products, Fig. 1. Course of experimental fatigue assessment ‘The major issue is to determine the service loads applied to the component within a realistic framework. In order to achieve a reliable and yet practical investigation with ‘manageable results the multiaxial service loads should be broken-down to their nominal components (tension, bend: ing and torsion}. The first stop is to determine the basic fatigue life curves (Wahler curves) of each load component. ‘This is obvi- ously not adequate to specify a realistic fatigue life for structures that their service loads are a mixture of all ‘nominal load components and amplioudes. Thus, as a sec- fond step, a complete and reliable investigation should include eurves which correspond to sequences simulating the operational loading conditions for each load compo- nent (Gafiner curves), ‘The two steps mentioned above enable the determination of an appropriate damage accumulation law which can be used to calculate the fatigue life for any given load se- «quence (measured on test tracks or given in design codes). 2, WELDED COMPONENTS Special care is essential when dealing with welded com- ponents of thicknesses t<2Smm, where the notch effect caused by the weldment geometry is dominant for the durability of the structure (a weldment with nominal di- mensions of 4xdmm or greater, which is common for such structures, represents a 16% thickness enlargement, form= ing also a stiffer area of significant size). Even though design codes and international recommendations [1] give instructions and calculation methods for simple geome- 323tries, the complexity of many components leads to a man- datory experimental investigation of durability ‘The majority Of welded components fail at areas where ‘welds start or end [1]. This fact is caused by the apparent complicated 3D geometry, which brings out a high stess concentration in all directions. The welding. parameters also have a significant role as this area is difficult to ‘maintain the uniformity of the weldment in terms of thermal processing and hence residual stresses, Simple versus complex geometries Common welds have been categorized by type and ge- cmety, facilitating the durability assessment of simple components under uniaxial loading. Nevertheless, when more complex geometries occur, the international guide. Lines give only limited theoretical assistance, resorting to experimental investigations. Fig. 2. Examples of simple welds Specimens under investigation The specimens used are axle casings of mid-series motor fucks with peripheral components welded to the main bart. These casings are categorized as thinwalled with Structure thicknesses t<25mm, The material used is a ‘common low-strength steel welded via fillet welds Fig. 3. Overview of the axle casing under investigation, ‘assembled on the chassis of the truck ‘The welded components are the hats which form the area ofthe exle-leaf spring connection and the brake flange. A closer look at these areas reveals the complexity of the {eometty as well es the variations of the weld-end topol. ony. (Leaf spring hats (0) Brake ange Fig. 4. Weld geometries and typical variations 324 3. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE, Test rig ‘The specifications of the manufacturer dictate the simul tion ofthe whoie structure, a requirement which is met k the test rig construction shovn in Fig. 5. This enables ty study of the axle easing's behaviour a5 close to servin conditions as possible. The experimental procedure 1 conducted by assembling the whole axle tothe test i i contradiction to just extracting specimens from the’ as sumed critical areas. This is of decisive importance be cause the stiffness of the structure is kept intact and all assumptions concerning the translation of operational loads to their experimental equivatent loads do not affect the resultant fatigue life, Fig. 5. Overview of the test rig The test rig shown above provides the same support types as the actual assembly on the chassis ofthe truck (Fig 3). Furthermore the londing is introduced via an actuator ot the same point where the whecl ofthe trick is fastened, in cases of simulating the vertical and horizontal compo. nents of losding, and at the point where the braking sys- tom is assembled, in case of braking moment, Load, displacement and stress monitoring The load measured on the load cell and the displacement of the actuator are always monitored, Strain gages applied {0 42 points monitor the stress behaviour of the axle case ing. The critical ones have been identified through a series of preliminary measurements for all lod components, ‘These critical points where then monitored throughout the whole procedure. The stress and load histories gathered, allow the fatigue assessment in terms of both, nominal loud andi local stress values, All measurements showed a quasilinear correlation be- tween force, displacement and stresses. In addition, a clear image of the critical areas and the most appropriate Positions for creating reference points that would be es. sential for further analysis has been obtained, In onder to verify the repeatability of the experiments, ‘measurement points far away fiom stress concentration areas where also monitored. This action was essential due to the light differences in stress concentration factors ap- pearing for the geometrical variations of the weld ends — failure points Failure points ~ Failure Criteria In case of load type I and 3 (vertical load and braking ‘moment, respectively) failure occurs on the inside rearcend of the brake flange. Even though the faiure area 2 same, load ease 1 develops a weld toc failure ne, in contrast to load case 3, where the crack initi- rom the weld root (load ype -weldioe——(P) Load ppe 3 weld root Fig. 6. Failure points ~ Load types 1 andl 3 + fact commands also the use of different failure erite- For load type 1, the crack length of 2mm, which is ly detectable via visual inspection, was chosen as a istic value for failure criteria. A very rapid propaga- ‘of the erack afler this length has been observed, lead- to total fracture. the other hand, load type 3 failure initiates at the very ‘ eycle area forming an initial crack of 2mm. This ‘tops having no influence on the stiffness of the tcture, Later on a secondary erack path is formed di- lly on the weldment, which propagates slowly. A loss siiffness able to be measured is observed only after ck lengths of approximately 72 to 75 mm, a value de: ed to be the failure criteria ad type 2 (longitudinal.oading) leeds to feilure at the tside weld end area of the spring hats, an area where 0 different weldment meet. Fig. 7. Failure point — Load type 2 he behaviour of the crack initiation and propagation is miler to the one observed at load type 1. Therefore, a etectable crack length of 2mm is also decided as failure teria while the transgression of this length also leads to otal separation, The evitical weld toe, ie. the one where se crack initiates, is that of the upper spring hat, an area vhich is closer to the actuator than the lower spring hat, 5 itcan clearly be seen, |. TEST RESULTS The fatigue life results are plotted against both nominal oad and critical point stresses for each load type. This Dourse of action outlines potential differences in slopes snd highlights the spectrum of stress concentration factors achieved because of geometrical variation, In addition to the fatigue life investigation, a pretiminary frequency response analysis was conducted inside the spectrum of 0.1 and 4.5 Hz because of the big mass of the rig which oscillate during the fatigue experiments. How= ever, no worth mentioning influence of any kind to the resulting stresses was revealed. Constant amplitude loading Load type 1 simulates the vertical loads coming from road ‘anomalies while load type 2 the longitudinal loeds acting at the center of the wheel, Both cases together cover a wide spectrum of loads occurring during straight-ahead diving (and partially during braking) and are suspected to be critical in ftigue failure. In addition, the behavior of the torsion introduced via the brake flange during braking is examinod soparately in load type 3. At least 3 different load lovels were investigated for each Toad type. The corresponding fatigue life results and the Wohler curves determined by means of statistical analy for various values of probability of survival are shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, rote Fig. 8. Fatigue life curve for load case I Fig. 9, Fatigue life curve for load ease 2 325Fig. 10, Fatigue life curve for load case 3 ‘The slopes of the experimentally determined Wohler curves agree well with those proposed by intemational uidelines [1], Additionally, the fatigue life scatter bands between 10% and 90% probability of survival were found to be satisfactory natrow. Conceming the scatter band width, a more detailed analysis of the broken specimens revealed that there is another geometrical factor that could contribute to this. When the hats are pressed down on the axle casing, some inevitable voids are created, slightly altering the surfaces in contact Variable amplitude loading ‘The same series of experiments is being carried out using «4 Gaussian-like sequence of load amplitudes with 201396 reversal points, This sequence is transformed to a sinysot= dal pulse and applied to the specimens for different values of maximum load, The ready results up to date are few because of the time needed to complete each experiment (10 to 20 times longer than the respective experiments with constant amplitude). Thus, the available experimen- {al data for variable ampliuide loading presented here is limited to load type 1 } i i Fig. 11. Fatigue lives at constant and variable amplitudes ‘for load case I 5. CONCLUSION Wobler curves and Ga8iner data as well as the scatter of fatigue life for failure-critical welded joints in bodies of ‘commercial vehicle axles have been experimentally de- {ermined, In addition, an experimental stress-strain analy- 326 sis of the complete axle structure has besn performed for three different cyclic loading cases, The slope of the Wahler curves has been found out to be in satisfactory agreement with the corresponding recom- mendation of the IW guideline [1] (Slope k=3). The fa- ‘igue lite scatter expressed as the ratio of fatigue lives for probabilities of faiture of 90% and 10% is quite narrow. The experimental data determined here can be used for the durability assessment of the axle bodies taking meas- ured operational cyclie loads or standardized load spectra [2] imto consideration, Additionally, the stress results in conjunction with the determined W8hler curves can be used for the validation of modeling methodologies by imcans of finite elements as well as of fatigue calculation methods such as the Foot Spot Stress Approach or the Bf fective Notch Concept. These topics will set the further research activities on the subject. REFERENCES [1] Hobbacher A., Recommendations for fatigue desiga of welded joints and components, IIW document XULL-2151-07 | XV-1254-07, 2007. [2] Gtubisic V., Determination of Load Spectra for De- sign and Testing, International Journal of Vehicle Design 15 (1994), 8-26. CORRESPONDENCE, | Michail MALIKOUTSAKIS, Dipl Ing, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Faculty of Engineering Lab. of Machine Elements ‘& Machine Design 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece mmalikou@auth gr ‘Alexandros SAVAIDIS, Dr. Ing, National Technical University of Athens Department of Mechanios Zografou Campus 15773 Athens, Greece asavaidis@tellas gr _| Christos SALPISTIS, Assist. Prof, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Faculty of Engineering, Lab. of Machine Elements & Machine Design 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece chrsalp@meng.auth ge Georgios SAVAIDIS, Assist Prof, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Faculty of Engineering Lab. of Machine Elements & Machine Design 54124 Thessaloniki, Greoce gsavaidis@meng auth.gr _