Assessment of multiaxial fatigue life prediction methodologies for Inconel 718

Fatigue life prediction methodologies for the assessment of the structural integrity of safety critical components in modern turbine engines require a close integration of advanced multiaxial fatigue life prediction procedures and of specific multiaxial tests, representative of the service conditions of turbine engine components and materials. The objective of the research work presented in this paper is to extend currently employed methodologies for the assessment of fatigue strength of turbine engines disks by integrating suitable multiaxial fatigue criteria and test results of multiaxial fatigue experiments conducted on Inconel 718 material at temperatures similar to those experienced by the disc materials during service. Smooth tubular specimens of Inconel 718 have been employed for conducting tension/torsion strain controlled high temperature fatigue tests. Specimens have been cut out from forged parts utilised for the production of engine discs, thus preserving the typical properties of disc materials (microstructure, basic mechanical properties, etc.). Different models/criteria have been evaluated by comparing fatigue life predictions and multiaxial fatigue experiments. It’s well known that agreement of life predictions with experimental life is strongly affected not only by the choice of the multiaxial fatigue criteria but also by the way the reference fatigue data are integrated in the criteria. Therefore, specific multiaxial fatigue tests have been carried out, in order to validate and to improve the assessment capabilities of the lifing procedures. Moreover, multiaxial fatigue tests permit advances in the basic understanding of materials behaviour that might be utilised in the processes of declaring component service lives.