ME4255

Feedback of ME4255 Materials Failure, AY2014/15 SEM2 Examination and CA

QUESTION 1
Explaining the significant of the data for unirradiated and irradiated A533B-1 steel expressed
in Figure 1.
(15 marks)

Figure 1

This question is 15 marks, the average mark for this question in the class is 8.3 and mean is
10.
The key to this question is that, for radiated specimens, at the same temperature, the fracture
toughness is lower than the unirradiated one.
Some of you get confused by the figure, and answered opposite to the fact.

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QUESTION 2
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)

What is generalized plane stress state?

Explain the possible metal oxidation mechanisms.
How a safety factor against failure is defined?
What are the adhesive wear and abrasive wear?
What is electrochemical cell and what are the components in such cell?

(25 marks)
This question is 25 marks. The average marks for this question in the class is 19.6, and the
mean value is 20.
Most of you do not have problems, but some of you did not complete the answer.
Some of you have problem on the first one, the question ask generalized plane stress state
which is different from the plane stress state.

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QUESTION 3
What are the possible failure modes in the four pictures shown in Figure 2?

Figure 2
(20 marks)

This question is 20 marks. The average mark for this question in class is 8.6 with mean of 7.
Some of you did not complete the answer, for example, some of you cannot identify the
fracture surface correctly, such as ductile failure (dimp) (a), fatigue failure (b), intergranular
failure (c), and corrosion failure (d).

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QUESTION 4
An engineering component made of alloy S-590 will be subjected in actual service to
temperature of 800oC and a stress of 100 MPa.
(i)
(ii)

(iii)

What life to creep rupture is expected for the given service conditions?
It has been suggested that the components of this type should be replaced
after they have reached to half of the expected life time. What safety
factor on stress would be provided by this replacement?
Do you agree with this suggestion of replacement at half of the expected
life? Why or why not?

(For S-590 alloy, C=17 log(hours), b0=38,405, b1=-8,206, b2=b3=0).

(20 marks)

This question is 20 marks, the average for this question is 15.5 with mean of 20.
Most of you do not have problems with this question, except some of the answers are not
completed, especially the discussion on part (iii).

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QUESTION 5
(i) For the notch members shown in Figure 3, estimate the repeatedly applied zero-tomaximum nominal stress Smax that corresponds to a life of Nf = 105 cycles: (a) using
Goodman equation for ductile materials; and (b) using a different equation:
1 R
.
S fat Smax Sa Smax
2
(ii) One of the same notched members is subjected to constant amplitude cycling of
Pa=32kN and a mean force of Pm=25kN. What fatigue life in cycle is expected?
Note:
1. The nominal stress is calculated from its net area of the notch position.
2. You need first to determine the S-N relationship from the curve.

Figure 3
(20 Marks)
This question is 20 marks, the average mark for this question in class is 7.9 with mean of 7.
The main problems are the calculations using the Goodman relationship, as well as to
computer the stress from the load.
The average for the final exam in the class is 66 with the mean at 62. The average mark for
quiz is 48.
The relative low average is because of one student did not attend the exam and CA, therefore
is zero (0) for his grade, this pulls-down the average marks of the whole class.
The term papers do not have major issues, except some of you did not address what you have
learnt from the term paper.