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Image analysis to reveal crack development using a computer simulation of wear and rolling contact fatigue
Author(s) -
FLETCHER D. I.,
FRANKLIN F. J.,
KAPOOR A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
fatigue and fracture of engineering materials and structures
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1460-2695
pISSN - 8756-758X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-2695.2003.00696.x
Subject(s) - materials science , surface (topology) , representation (politics) , flow (mathematics) , similarity (geometry) , feature (linguistics) , structural engineering , computer science , mechanics , engineering , image (mathematics) , artificial intelligence , geometry , mathematics , linguistics , philosophy , physics , politics , political science , law
Plastic flow of near‐surface rail material under contact loading is a feature of rail–wheel contact, and severe flow typically leads to both wear, and the initiation and development of small surface‐breaking cracks. This paper presents results from a ratcheting based computer simulation, which has been developed to allow the simultaneous investigation of wear, crack initiation and early crack propagation. To identify repeatably small crack‐like flaws, image analysis is applied to the visual representation of the wearing surface generated by the model. This representation shows a good similarity to traditional micrographs taken from sections of worn surfaces. The model clearly reveals the interaction of wear with crack development, processes which are linked because wear truncates surface‐breaking cracks, and can completely remove small surface‐breaking cracks.