Io

Fatigue Properties of Nonferrous

for Heat Exchangers,
Pumps, and Piping

tAlloys

Assignment 86 1o8
MEL R&D Report 232/66
May 19656
By
M. R. Gross and R. C. Schwab

U.S. NAVY1
MARINE ENGINEER-ING LABORATORYI
apolis, Md/O tP

II

,~

.601
DedicatcM To- PROGRESS IN MARINE ENGINEERIN(e

Bet.st Available, Copy

Distribution of this document is unlimited.

4'?~b OO
~O6

Fatigue Properties of Nonferrous

Alloys for Heat Exchangers,
Pumps, and Piping
Assignment 86 108
MEL R&D Report 232/66

May 1966
By
M. R. Gross and R. C. Schwab

M. R. GROSS

R. C. SCHWAB

Approved by:A

)istribution of thi~g"G~~umv,,,t is ur ime- d

t%

46

T%

ABSTRACT
The fatigue behavior of 13 nonferrous
alloys used for corrosion-resistant heat
exchangers,

pumps,

and piping systems was

investigated over a broad life spectrum of

100 to 100-million cycles.

Both cast and

wrought copper-base and nickel-base alloys

were studied.

It

is

concluded that wrought

Monel* and forged Ni-Al bronze have the

highest fatigue strengths, whereas gun metal
and valve bronze have the lowest.

The effect

of salt water on fatigue performance was not

found to be highly significant.

The use of

Langer's equation to predict stress-cycle

relationships gave satisfactory results for
wrought alloys but appeared to be overly conservative for cast alloys.

I
*Registered trade name of the International Nickel Company,
Incorporated.
C
iii

MEL Report 232/66

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
!RIBUTION LIST
'RACT
:ODUCTION
:RIALS INVESTIGATED
[OD OF TEST
oURE CRITERIA
rLTS OF TESTS
'ARISON OF FATIGUE STRENGTHS
!LUSIONS
:RENCES
OF FIGURES
Figure 1 - Drawing, Rotating Cantilever Beam
Fatigue Specimen
Figure 2 - Drawing, Low-Cycle Fatigue Specimen
Figure 3 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue Curves, Gun Metal
(Cast)
Figure 4 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue Curves, Valve
Bronze (Cast)
Figure 5 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue Curves, Ni-Al
Bronze (Cast)
Figure 6 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue Curves, Ni-Al
Bronze (Forged)
Figure 7 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue Curves, Superston
Figure

ii
iii
1
2
2

4
5
6
8

40 (cast)

Curve, Flexural Fatigue

Cupronickel (Cast)
Figure 9 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue
Cupronickel (wrought)
Figure 10 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue
Cupronickel (Hard)
Figure 11 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue
-

Curves,

70-30

Curves,

70-30

Curves,

90-10

Curves, Cufenloy

40 (Annealed)

Figure 12 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue

40 (DSR)
Figure 13 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue
nickel 707 (Wrought)
Figure 14 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue
T (Cast)
"E'
Figure 15 - Curve, Flexural Fatigue
(Wrought)

Curves,

Cufenloy

Curves, CuproCurves,

Monel

Curves,

Monel

Introduction
Many copper-base and nickel-base alloys are used in the construction of heat exchangers,

pumps,
In

to handle fresh or saline water.

for such applications,
sion resistance,
teristics.
low.

and piping systems designed

the selection of materials

consideration is given primarily to corro-

erosion resistance,

and heat transfer charac-

In most applications the applied stress levels are

Accordingly,

the structural strength properties of the

materials are relatively unimportant.

In recent years, more and more attention has been given to
the structural properties of these alloys because of (1) cost and
weight reduction programs,
(3)

(2)

conservation of strategic materials,

development of new high-strength alloys,

tions which impose high stress levels.

and (4)

new applica-

Typical of the latter are

sea-connected cooling systems for hydrospace vehicles.

One of the most likely modes of mechanical failure in

systems

undergoing cyclic pressurization or thermal shock loading is

metal fatigue.

The frequency of stress cycling in

such systems

may vary from that of an occasional start-up and shutdown to

vibrational forces developed by the movement of the heat-exchanger
fluids.

Little or no published information on the alloys used in

this type of service was found in reviewing the literature several

years ago.

Accordingly,

tests were conducted at the U. S.

Navy

Marine Engineering Laboratory to establish the fatigue behavior of

ariety of corrosion-resistant nonferrous alloys.

The results

these tests are presented in this paper.

.erials Investigated
The 13 alloys investigated are listed in Table 1, together
-h their chemical compocitions and tensile properties.
.luded are the strength coefficient,
)onent, n, contained in

K,

and strain-hardening

the true-stress/true-strain

relaticn-

Lp:

a = K en
re are some deficiencies in

the tensile properties of the cast

:erials with respect to the governing specifications.

This is

be expected inasmuch as the specification requirements are

aally based on separately cast test coupons,

whereas the values

ven in Table 1 were obtained on specimens removed from cast

ates.
thod of Test
Two types of flexural fatigue specimens were used in the
vestigation.

The high-cycle fatigue tests were performed with

tating cantilever-beam specimens having the dimensions shown in

gure 1.

These were constant deadweight load tests with a cycle

equency of 1450 cpm.

The smooth test lengths were circum-

rentially and longitudinally polished to a metallographic

nish.

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The low-cycle fatigue tests were performed with equipment

ibed previously.'

Flat flexure-type specimens having the

sions shown in Figure 2 were used.

The short end of the

men was held stationary, while the long end was flexed
en mechanical stops by a hydraulic piston.

One or more

n gages (0.25-inch gage length) were attached to the miniest section to record the longitudinal strain.
ng force was measurpd with a load cell.
ACT,

The applied

The total strain

was obtained from strain gage readings,

and the

al bending-stress range was calculated from elastic stress

las using the measured load range.

Specimens were cycled

^pm.
All of the fatigue tests were of the completely reversed
(Fatigue ratio = -1).
d in

Whereas most of the specimens were

air, a few were tested with Severn'River water con-

usly wetting the test surface.

Severn River water is

ish estuary water containing 1/6 to 1/3 the salt content

tural seawater,

depending on the season and the tide.

ous fatigue tests in both Severn River water and natural

ter havF. shown no significant differences in the effects
e two media.
re Criteria
Failure in

the high-cycle,

sted of complete fracture.

rotating cantilever-beam tests

Failure in the low-cycle fatigue

tests was defined as one or more surface cracks 3/16 to I/4 inch
in

length.

Results of Tests
The results of the tests are plotted in log-log form in
Figures 3 through 15.
the data.

Two methods have been used in analyzirvj

The top graph in

each figure is

ship for the data, where SR is

stross and N is

the SR vs N relation-

the nominal reversed bending

Lhe number of cycles to failure.

SR was calcu-

lated from the elastic stress formula

SR =21~
where

AM = bending moment range,

in-lb.

c = distance from neutral axis to outermost fiber at

minimum cross section,

in.

I = moment of inertia of minimum cross section,

The bottom graph in each figure is
for the data, where SPE is

in.4

the SPE vs N relationship

the reversed pseudoelastic or apparent

elastic stress calculated as follows:

SPE = 6ET.E

.....

(2)

2
where

ACT = total strain range as determined from strain gages

on the test section,

in/in.

E = modulus of elasticity (Table 1),

psi.

urvilinear relationship between Spr and N was obtained by

fitting the following relationship to the data.
=_PE
c

+ SE

.....

Nm
C and m = best-fit constants
SE = endurance limit or fatigue strength at 10s
cycles,

psi.

_st-fit equation for the SPE vs N data is given in each

a.

Equation (3)

is

sed by Langer

a generalization of the following equation

for predicting the SPE vs N fatigue curve

tensile test data.

_

RA = reduction of area,

in

00

.....

(4)

percent.

Ihe dashed line in each figure is

on Equation (4)

+S

Langer's predicted curve

and the tensile data presented in Table 1.

Mhe triangle symbols in graphs represent specimens which

been continuously exposed to salt water during the fatigue

:ison of Fati(,ue Strengths

rable 2 represents an attempt to rationalize the fatigue
"ror the 13 alloys investigated.

The SR and SpE values were

from the curves in Figures 3 through 15.

The values in

:olumn were then ranked in order of decreasing fatigue

strength.

shown in the

An average rank for each material is

right hand column.

Table 2
Comparison of Fatigue Strengths
of Alloys Investigated

Type

Alloy

Condition

105 Cycles
3PE
5R
ksi
ksi

Fatigue Strength At.

106 Cycles
105 Cycles
bPE
bR
5PE
SR
ksi
ksi
ksi
ksi

Average
Rank

Gun Metal

Cast

As-cast

35(12)

96(12)

17(12) 25(12)

6(12.5)

8(12.5) (12.2)

Valve Bronze

Cast

As-cast

32(13)

52(13)

16(13) 17(13)

6(12.5)

8(12.5) (12.8)

Ni-Al Bronze

Cast

As-cast

78(6)

210(5)

46(4)

48(7)

29(3)

30(3)

(4.7)

Ni-Al Bronze

Forged

Annealed

110(l)

230(3)

65(1)

64(1)

35(1.5)

37(1)

(1.4)

Superaton 40

Cast

As-cast

83(4)

230(3)

44(5)

50(5)

25(5.5)

25(5.5)

(4.7)

70-30 Cupronickel Cast

As-cast

70(8)

130(11)

32(10) 27(11) 13(11)

70-30 Cupronickel Wrought Annealed

57(11) 180(7)

90-10 Cupronickel Wrought Hard

74(7)

Cuf!nloy 40

Wrought Annealed

Cufenloy 40

Wrought DSR

Cupronickel-707

Wrought Annealed

Monel

Cast

"E"

Wrought Annealed

Monel

Note:

As-cast

Numeral in

(10.3)

25(5.5)

25(5.5)

(7.0)

160(8.5) 38(7)

40(8)

21(8)

21(9)

(7.9)

35(8)

38(9)

26(4)

26(4)

(6.3)

160(8.5) 48(3)

50(5)

20(9)

23(7.5)

(5.8)

22(7)

23(7.5)

(5.1)

58(10) 230(3)
100(2)

29(11) 54(2)

14(11)

90(3)

190(6)

50(2)

50(5)

62(9)

155(10)

34(9)

36(10) 16(10)

16(10)

(9.7)

80(5)

350(1)

40(6)

52(3)

33(2)

(3.1)

35(1.5)

( ) is rank of value.

Conclusions
From the data and curves presented in Figures 3 through 15,
the following conclusions have been reached relative to the
unnotched fatigue behavior of the materials investigated.

Variations in fatigue strength or life are greater for

cast alloys than for wrought alloys.

superior to

The fatigue strength of a wrought alloy is

;t of a cast alloy of comparable chemical composition.

*

Wrought Monel and forged Ni-Al bronze have the highest

igue strengths, whereas gun metal and valve bronze have the
-est.
o

Stress-cycle relationships predicted by Langerts equation

generally satisfactory for wrought alloys but appear to be

rly conservative for most cast alloys.
*

Salt water does not have a highly significant effect on

fatigue behavior of the alloys investigated.

erences
Gross,

M. R.,

Construction,"

"Low-Cycle Fatigue of Materials for Submarine

Naval Engineers Jour, Vol. 75,

No.

5,

Oct

1963, pp. 783-797

Langer,

B.

F.,

"Design of Pressure Vessels for Low-Cycle

Fatigue," Jour of Basic Engineering,

Vol.

84,

Series D,

No.

3,

Sep

ASME Trans.

.962, pp.

389-402

Ser.

D,

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Title
Flexural Fatigue Curves

Legend

- Rotating Cantilever Fatigue Tests, Air

A - Rotating Cantilever Fatigue Tests, Salt Water

0 - Low-Cycle Fatigue Tests, Air
A - Low-Cycle Fatigue Tests, Salt Water

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C LASSIFICA TION

UNCLASSIFIED

S. Navy Marine Engineering Laboratory

apolis, Maryland 21402

IRT TITLE

igue Properties of Nonferrous Alloys for Heat Exchangers,

Piping

Pumps,

:RIPTIVE NOTES (Type of report and incluaive datee)

4OR(S) (Laet nanie., ftrt name, Initlal)

oss,
)RT

M. R.

and Schwab,

R.

C.
7a. TOTAL NO. OF PA GES

DATE

May 1966
4TRACT OR GRANT NO.

7b NO. Or

23
$a.

Pcps

ORIGINATOR'S REPORT NUM8ER(S)I

232/66

)aNO.

9b. OTH4E~R 0PORT NOMS (Any othet numberm that may be aast&7*d

MEL Assignment 86 108

I IL AUILITY/LIMITATION NOTICES

tribution of this document is

PLEMENTARY NOTES

unlimited.
12. SPONSORING MILITARY ACTIVITY

TRACT

ae fatigue behavior of 13 nonferrous alloys used for corrosion-

Bsistant heat exchangers, pumps, and piping systems was invesigated over a broad life spectrum of 100 to 100-million cycles.
ith cast and wrought copper-base and nickel-base alloys were
tudied.
It is concluded that wrought Monel* and forged Ni-Al
conze have the highest fatigue strengths, whereas gun metal
The effect of salt water on
id valve bronze have the lowest.
The
atigue performance was not found to be highly significant.
3e of Langer's equation to predict stress-cycle relationships
ave satisfactory results for wrought alloys but appeared to be
;erly conservative for cast alloys.
(Authors)

tegistered trade name of the International Nickel Co.,

Fj.1t

14O

73

Inc.

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WY

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WT

MOLl

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Nonferrous alloys
Fatigue behavior,

strength

Piping systems
2opper-base alloys
. ickel-base alloys
:ast and wrought alloys
3alt water effect

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