In the last decade, decrease of the wear rate, increase in the axel load, and the velocity of the trains have changed the main damage mechanism of railway wheels from wear to rolling contact fatigue (RCF). RCF may lead to surface and subsurface cracks. The interaction between wear and RCF, removes the surface cracks, but the subsurface crack propagate gradually, and may lead to deeper and more dangerous fractures. In this study, by considering an elliptical subsurface crack, the lifetime of an Iranian railway system wheel has been predicted using FEM, and under RCF condition. To this end, a 3D model of a cracked R7T wheel with 920mm diameter in contact with UIC60 rail has been prepared and analyzed in Abaqus FEM software. The histories of the stress intensity factors of the subsurface crack have been extracted in one cycle wheel rolling. Then, equivalent stress intensity factors have been calculated using Tanaka and Liu-Mahadevan models. Finally, wheel lifetime has been predicted by Walker relation. This paper provides a local criterion of critical crack length and crack growth lifetime that is essential for frequent inspections of railroad wheel. Manuscript profile

X-100 steel is one of the most recently developed materials for production of gas transportation pipelines. This material is severely anisotropic. Smooth and notched round bars with different notch radius and flat notched specimens with different notch radius and notch depth in tension are tested to characterize the failure of this material under quasi-static loading condition.Triaxiality factor that embodies the effect of mean stress and Lode angle are the parameters that affect the failure. Lode angle is a recently introduced parameter in the fracture of ductile materials and contains the effect of third invariant of deviatoric stress tensor. The load-displacement curves and pictures taken by 2 photo camera are used to study the effects of anisotropy, triaxiality factor and Lode angle on the failure of this material. Finally an experimental failure criterion is developed to model the failure of this material. In this failure criterion, strain at fracture initiation is a function of X and TF. Models that take into account the effect of Lode angle, Triaxiality factor and anisotropy in plasticity and damage are the current state of the art in the research of ductile materials. Manuscript profile

In this paper, the interface crack of two non-homogenous functionally graded materials is studied. Subsequently, with employing the displacement method for fracture of mixed-mode stress intensity factors, the continuous variation of material properties are calculated. In this investigation, the displacements are derived with employing of the functional graded material programming and analysis of isoparametric finite element; then, with using of displacement fields near crack tip, the mixed-mode stress intensity factors are defined. In this present study, the problems are divided into homogenous and non-homogenous materials categories; and in order to verify the accuracy of results, the analytical and numerical methods are employed. Moreover, the effect of Poisson's ratio variation on mixed-mode stress intensity factors for interface crack be examined and is shown in this study. Unlike the homogenous material, the effect of Poisson’s ratio variations on mixed-mode stress intensity factors at interface crack between two nonhomogenous is considerable. Manuscript profile

Engineering structures are usually exposed to cyclic multiaxial loading and subsequently to multiaxial fatigue. Different models and criteria with various capabilities have been proposed for predicting of multiaxial fatigue life. Selection of proper model by considering material, type of loading and operation condition of each engineering structure is a challenging issue of the life prediction process. In this paper, capability of some critical strain-based models for predicting the fatigue life are evaluated and compared. Then, based on the advantages and disadvantages of the investigated models, a new model is presented. In this study, experimental fatigue data for SNCM630 samples under axial-torsional loading are used which is available in the literature. Results are compared to experimental data in order to validate the accuracy and capability of the new model in prediction of the fatigue life. Manuscript profile