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This paper reports on the evolution of cracks in the cylinder heads of a large V8 Diesel engine during cyclic engine tests. The observations are compared with the predictions of a lifetime model for combined thermo-mechanical (TMF) and high cycle fatigue (HCF) loading, which is based on a fracture mechanics analysis of microcrack growth in viscoplastic solids and assumes that the crack advance per cycle is proportional to the cyclic crack tip opening displacement. Since the material of the cylinder heads, the cast iron EN-GJV450, exhibits the typical features of cast iron, namely pressure dependence of the yield stress, dilatancy and tension-compression asymmetry, the Gurson model is applied and combined with the viscoplastic Chaboche model. This constitutive model together with the lifetime model is implemented into a finite element code as a user defined material routine. Published model parameters for the considered cast iron are used to carry out the simulation of the engine test.

Turbocharger housings in internal combustion engines are subjected to severe mechanical and thermal cyclic loads throughout their life-time or during engine testing. The combination of thermal transients and mechanical load cycling results in a complex evolution of damage, leading to thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) of the material. For the computational TMF life assessment of high temperature components, the DTMF model can provide reliable TMF life predictions. The model is based on a short fatigue crack growth law and uses local finite-element (FE) results to predict the number of cycles to failure for a technical crack. In engine applications, it is nowadays often acceptable to have short cracks as long as they do not propagate and cause loss of function of the component. Thus, it is necessary to predict not only potential crack locations and the corresponding number of cycles for a technical crack, but also to determine subsequent crack growth or even a possible crack arrest.

Cast aluminum alloys are frequently used as materials for cylinder head applications in internal combustion gasoline engines. These components must withstand severe cyclic mechanical and thermal loads throughout their lifetime. Reliable computational methods allow for accurate estimation of stresses, strains, and temperature fields and lead to more realistic Thermomechanical Fatigue (TMF) lifetime predictions. With accurate numerical methods, the components could be optimized via computer simulations and the number of required bench tests could be reduced significantly. These types of alloys are normally optimized for peak hardness from a quenched state that maximizes the strength of the material. However due to high temperature exposure, in service or under test conditions, the material would experience an over-ageing effect that leads to a significant reduction in the strength of the material.