The investigations were inspired with the problem of cracking of steel castings during the production process. A single mechanism

of decohesion – the intergranular one – occurs in the case of hot cracking, while a variety of structural factors is decisive for hot cracking

initiation, depending on chemical composition of the cast steel. The low-carbon and low-alloyed steel castings crack due to the presence

of the type II sulphides, the cause of cracking of the high-carbon tool cast steels is the net of secondary cementite and/or ledeburite

precipitated along the boundaries of solidified grains. Also the brittle phosphor and carbide eutectics precipitated in the final stage

solidification are responsible for cracking of castings made of Hadfield steel. The examination of mechanical properties at 1050°C

revealed low or very low strength of high-carbon cast steels.

Numerical analysis of the tensioning cables anchorage zone of a bridge superstructure is presented in this paper. It aims to identify why severe concrete cracking occurs during the tensioning process in the vicinity of anchor heads. In order to simulate the tensioning, among others, a so-called local numerical model of a section of the bridge superstructure was created in the Abaqus Finite Element Method (FEM) environment. The model contains all the important elements of the analyzed section of the concrete bridge superstructure, namely concrete, reinforcement and the anchoring system. FEM analyses are performed with the inclusion of both material and geometric nonlinearities. Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) constitutive relation from Abaqus is used to describe nonlinear concrete behaviour, which enables analysis of concrete damage and crack propagation. These numerical FEM results are then compared with actual crack patterns, which have been spotted and inventoried at the bridge construction site.

The usefulness of elastic compliance measurements to estimate crack closure in structural steel and the validity of the assumption of a constant compliance value for the fully open crack is examined. Based on considering different issues related to the experimental technique and compliance data processing, local compliance measurements and the compliance offset method recommended by the ASTM standard are selected to be most suitable for structural steel. The compliance data generated in fatigue tests on I 8G2A steel conducted under a variety of loading conditions enabled to choose an optimal strain gauge positioning and appropriate offset criterion values for the original compliance offset method and its modified (normalized) version. The adequacy of the closure measurements is assessed through checking the ability of the resulting effective stress intensity factors to account for the observed effects of the loading conditions on fatigue crack growth rates.

Effects of specimen thickness and stress ratio on fatigue crack growth and crack closure levels under constant amplitude loading and after a single overload have been studied experimentally for a structural steel ( I 8G2A). The corresponding crack growth data from the fatigue tests have been presented and evaluated. The experimental trends have been compared to those reported in the literature for various steels. The ability of the effective stress intensity factor range based on crack closure measurements to correlate the observed crack growth response has been investigated.

The article deals with the automated control of the catalytic cracking process of vacuum gas oil. A functional scheme of automation is proposed, and a computer-integrated control system for the reactor of nanocatalytic petroleum products refining is developed.

Inconel 713C is a nickel-based casting alloy characterised by improved heat and creep resistance [1]. It is used e.g. in aircraft engine components, mainly in the form of precision castings. Precision casting enables very good reproduction of complex shapes. However, due to major differences in casting wall thickness and the resultant differences in rigidity, defects can form in precision castings. The most common defects in precision castings are shrinkage porosities and microcracks. Inconel 713C is considered to be a difficult-to-weld or even non-weldable alloy. However, the need to repair precision castings requires attempts to develop technologies for their remelting and pad welding which could be used in industrial practice. This article presents the results of tests consisting in TIG pad welding of defects identified in precision castings intended for the aircraft industry. It was found that the main reason behind failed attempts at repairing precision castings by welding technologies was hot cracking in the fusion zone. Such cracks form as a result of the partial melting of intercrystalline regions along the fusion line. The deformations occurring during the crystallization of the melting-affected zone (fusion zone + partially melted zone + heat affected zone) or pad weld lead to the rupture of the intercrystalline liquid film. Hot cracks form within the so-called high-temperature brittleness range (HTBR) of the alloy. Another type of cracks that was identified were ductility dip cracks (DDC), whose formation is related to the partial melting of carbides.

The constant growth of foundry modernization, mechanization and automation is followed with growing requirements for the quality and parameters of both moulding and core sands. Due to this changes it is necessary to widen the requirements for the parameters used for their quality evaluation by widening the testing of the moulding and core sands with the measurement of their resistance to mechanical deformation (further called elasticity). Following article covers measurements of this parameter in chosen moulding and core sands with different types of binders. It focuses on the differences in elasticity, bending strength and type of bond destruction (adhesive/cohesive) between different mixtures, and its connection to the applied bonding agent. Moulding and cores sands on which the most focus is placed on are primarily the self-hardening moulding sands with organic and inorganic binders, belonging to the group of universal applications (used as both moulding and core sands) and mixtures used in cold-box technology.

This paper focuses on mechanical properties of self hardening moulding sands with furfuryl and alkyd binders. Elasticity as a new

parameter of moulding sands is investigated. With the use of presented testing equipment, it is possible to determine force kinetics and

deformation of moulding sand in real time. The need for this kind of study comes from the modern casting industry. New foundries can be

characterized with high intensity of production which is correlated with high level of mechanization and automatization of foundry

processes. The increasingly common use of manipulators in production of moulds and cores can lead to generation of new types of flaws,

caused by breakage in moulds and cores which could occur during mould assembly. Hence it is required that moulds and cores have high

resistance to those kinds of factors, attributing it with the phenomenon of elasticity. The article describes the theoretical basis of this

property, presents methods of measuring and continues earlier research.

In the high-alloy, ferritic - austenitic (duplex) stainless steels high tendency to cracking, mainly hot-is induced by micro segregation

processes and change of crystallization mechanism in its final stage. The article is a continuation of the problems presented in earlier

papers [1 - 4]. In the range of high temperature cracking appear one mechanism a decohesion - intergranular however, depending on the

chemical composition of the steel, various structural factors decide of the occurrence of hot cracking. The low-carbon and low-alloy cast

steel casting hot cracking cause are type II sulphide, in high carbon tool cast steel secondary cementite mesh and / or ledeburite segregated

at the grain solidified grains boundaries, in the case of Hadfield steel phosphorus - carbide eutectic, which carrier is iron-manganese and

low solubility of phosphorus in high manganese matrix. In duplex cast steel the additional factor increasing the risk of cracking it is very

"rich" chemical composition and related with it processes of precipitation of many secondary phases.

Brazing of two dissimilar structural materials; Zircaloy-4 and SS-316L was performed at 900oC under high vacuum conditions. The metallic glass ribbons (Zr55Cu30Al10Ni2Fe3-at. %) of 30 µm thickness, were used as an interlayer. The bonded region was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS) and microhardness testing. The metallurgical bond formation was due to compositional changes in the molten interlayer and later on its subsequent solidification. Assessment of the bonded zone (BZ) revealed three distinct regions (Region-I, Region-II and Region-III). Diffusion transformation was observed in Region-I and Region-III which were interface with base alloys SS-316L and Zircaloy-4 respectively. However, Region-II at the middle of the BZ was composed of isothermally and athermally solidified portions. The highest values of Microhardness were observed in Region-III which was due to the presence of hard phases. Moreover, a crack parallel to BZ was observed in Region-III and was attributed to differential contraction of base alloys during cooling. Maximum shear stress acting on the BZ was calculated and correlated to the brittle phase cracking.

Several previous investigations on failure of a certain type lattice girders railway bridge (on so called BJD line) have not convincingly explained reasons nor have they described potential hazards. This paper attempts to provide an answer, employing static, dynamic, and fatigue analysis of the structure, focusing on previously not analyzed vibrations of elements constituting a lattice node. Detailed models of two types of such nodes – damaged and non- damaged were compared, inside carefully defined limits of applicability.

The numerical solutions of stress and strain components on the critical plane of tungsten carbide coating were solved based on the critical plane method in three-dimensional coordinate system, and accordingly three strain energy density parameters (Smith-Watson-Topper, Nita-Ogatta-Kuwabara and Chen parameters) were determined to reveal the fretting fatigue characteristics of tungsten carbide coating. In order to predict the fretting fatigue life based on the strain energy density criterion, the expressions between the strain energy density parameter and the fretting fatigue life was obtained experimentally. After the comparison of the three strain energy parameters, it was found that all three parameters could accurately predict the crack initiation position, but only the Smith-Watson-Topper parameters could accurately predict the crack initiation angle. The effects of cyclic load, normal load and friction coefficient on fretting fatigue damage behaviors were discussed by using the Smith-Watson-Topper criterion. The results show that the fretting fatigue life decreases with the increase of cyclic load; an increase in the normal contact load will cause the Smith-Watson-Topper damage parameters more concentrated at the outer edge of the bridge foot; a decrease in the friction coefficient will increase the Smith-Watson-Topper damage parameters in the middle of the contact surface.

Adetailed tie model of cracking is proposed. The model is dedicated to both semi-massive RC (reinforcement concrete) members subjected to early-age imposed strains and non-massive members in which imposed strains occur after concrete hardening. As distinct from the currently applied European guidelines, the proposed model enables an analysis of crack width changes. These are a function of progressive imposed strain, material and geometry data, but also depend on the scale of cracking which determines the strain conditions of a member. Consequently, the new model takes account of not only the factors determining the cracking development but also the member relaxation effect that results from cracking. For this reason a new definition of restraint factor is proposed, which takes into account the range of cracking of a structural member, i.e. the number and width of cracks. Parametric analyses were performed of both the changes of the degree of restraint after cracking as well as the changes of crack width depending on the adopted type of aggregate, class of concrete and the coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete. These analyses indicate the potential benefits of the application of the presented model for both a more accurate interpretation of research and economical design of engineering structures.

One of the worst accidents that can take place in industrial presses is related to the risk of generating cracks in the columns. In order to avoid press columns from being subjected to tensile stress in the loading phase, the columns are sometimes assembled precompressed, so that nominal stress maintains negative values throughout the work cycle. Previous researches have considered cracks propagating under cyclic compressive loads in notched specimens. In these cases, the fatigue cracks are initiated at the notch root due to residual tensile stresses and grew at a progressively decreasing speed before arresting. The subject of the present paper is to give a paradigmatic example of crack initiation and propagation also in a general compressive field.

New approach using direct crack width calculations of the minimum reinforcement in tensile RC elements is presented. Verification involves checking whether the provided reinforcement ensures that the crack width that may result from the thermal-shrinkage effects does not exceed the limit value. The Eurocode provisions were enriched with addendums derived from the German national annex. Three levels of accuracy of the analysis were defined - the higher the level applied, the more significant reduction in the amount of reinforcement required can be achieved. A methodology of determining the minimum reinforcement for crack width control on the example of a RC retaining wall is presented. In the analysis the influence of residual and restraint stresses caused by hydration heat release and shrinkage was considered.

Constantly developing production process and high requirements concerning the quality of glass determine the need for continuous improvement of tools and equipment needed for its production. Such tools like forms, most often made of cast-iron, are characterized by thick wall thickness compared to their overall dimensions and work in difficult conditions such as heating of the surface layer, increase of thermal stresses resulting from the temperature gradient on the wall thickness, occurrence of thermal shock effect, resulting from cyclically changing temperatures during filling and emptying of the mould. There is no best and universal method for assessing how samples subjected to cyclic temperature changes behave. Research on thermal fatigue is a difficult issue, mainly due to the instability of this parameter, which depends on many factors, such as the temperature gradient in which the element works, the type of treatment and the chemical composition of the material. Important parameters for these materials are at high temperature resistance to thermal shock and thermal fatigue what will be presented in this paper.

Slender systems are mostly studied when Euler’s load or follower load is considered. The use of those types of external loads results in well-known divergence or flutter shape of the characteristic curve. In this study, one takes into account the specific load which allows one to obtain an interesting divergence – pseudo flutter shape of characteristic curves on the external load–vibration frequency plane. The curves can change inclination angle as well as one can observe the change in vibration modes along them. The shape of those curves depends not only on the parameters of the slender system but also on loading heads that induce the specific load. In this study, one considers the slender multimember system in which cracks are present and weaken the host structure. The results of theoretical as well as numerical simulations are focused on the influence of the parameters of the loading heads on vibrations, stability, and loading capacity of the investigated system as well as on the possibility of partial reduction of unwanted crack effect.

The strip yield model from the NASGRO computer software has been applied to predict fatigue crack growth in two different aircraft aluminium alloys under constant amplitude loading and programmed and random variable amplitude load histories. The computation options realized included either of the two different strip yield model implementations available in NASGRO and two types of the input material data description. The model performance has been evaluated based on comparisons between the predicted and observed results. It is concluded that altogether unsatisfactory prediction quality stems from an inadequate constraint factor conception incorporated in the NASGRO models.

Experimental evaluations on interlaminar and intralaminar fracture of multilayered and sandwich epoxy and polyester fabrics show an interesting behaviour at delamination initiation and crack propagation. Mode I and Mode Il tests were done on layered specimens with same type of ani ficial delamination to investigate the material influence on interlaminar fracture toughness and crack propagation. In sandwich specimens with a rigid foam core, the intralaminar damage failure and propagation are monitored.

The paper presents the results of tests on dynamic stability of Bernoulli-Euler beam with damages. Damages (cracks) were modeled using three rotational springs. An analysis of the influence of crack depth and their position relative to the beam ends on dynamic stability of the beam was carried out. The problem of dynamic stability was solved by applying the mode summation method. Applying an orthogonal condition of eigenfunctions, the dynamic of the system was described with the use of the Mathieu equation. The obtained equation allowed the dynamic stability of the tested system to be analyzed. Stable and unstable solutions were analyzed using the Strutt card.

Prediction of propagation time of corrosion is a key element in evaluating the service life of corroded reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Corroded steel products often expand in volume and thus generate tensile stress in the concrete cover. When this tensile stress exceeds the tensile strength of the concrete, cracking occurs. The tensile stresses in concrete due to corrosion are usually perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reinforcement. In the reinforced concrete beams, tensile stresses in concrete due to bending is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of stirrups. In the reinforced concrete slabs, the tensile stresses in concrete due to bending is also perpendicular to the axis of longitudinal reinforcement subjected to bending in the other direction. In such cases, the tensile stresses in concrete due to corrosion of reinforcement has the same direction as the tensile stress caused by bending. When the load-induced stress in the concrete has the same direction as that of the corrosion-induced stress, cracks will likely appear more quickly and vice versa. The main objective of this paper is to build a predictive model of corrosion propagation time taking into account: (1) the effect of stresses due to load; (2) the change of corrosion current density. The model was implemented on Matlab software. The results show the influence of the load, and other parameters on the corrosion propagation stage, when considering the end of this corrosion propagation stage is cracking of concrete cover.

The authors present the part of research devoted to the "squat" -type crack development in the heads of railway rails. This paper contains description of the results of investigations of the influence of the dynamic interaction, between the railway bogie running along the track on the "squat't-type crack development. The studies are performed by the use of computer simulation technique. The study is divided into two parts. The first part explains, how the vertical displacement of the wheel varies during the quasi-static rolling of the bo gie wheel along the cracked rail. In the second part of the paper, this displacements fluctuation is introduced to dynamic analysis. The histories of the wheel-rail force fluctuation during passage along the rail with the "squat'l-type crack were obtained as the result of dynamic analysis.

Rock masses, especially those with different pre-existing cracks, are prone to instability and failure under tensile loading, resulting in different degrees of engineering disasters. Therefore, to better understand the effect of pre-existing cracks with different dip angles on the tensile instability failure behaviour of rocks, the mechanism of crack initiation, propagation and coalescence in precracked sandstone under radial compression loading is investigated through numerical simulations. The temporal and spatial evolution of acoustic emission (AE) events is investigated by the moment tensor (MT), and the fracture mode of micro-cracks is determined. The results show that the pre-existing cracks weaken the specimens. The strength, crack initiation points and macro-failure modes of the specimens differ significantly depending on the dip angle of the pre-existing crack. For different dip angles of the pre-existing cracks, all the micro-cracks at the crack initiation point are tensile cracks, which are dominant during the whole loading process, and mixed cracks are mainly generated near the upper and lower loading ends after the peak stress. Of the total number of events, more than 75% are tensile cracks; approximately 15% are shear mode cracks; and the remainder consist of mixed mode cracks. The study reveals the instability and failure mechanism of pre-cracked rock, which is of great significance to ensure the long-term stability of rock mass engineering.