About cyclic degradation of F500W shipbuilding steel, assessed by acoustic emission and digital image correlation methods

This study investigated the influence of preliminary cyclic loading on the strength properties and damage characteristics of F500W steel under tension, as evaluated by acoustic emission and digital image correlation methods. The deformation dependencies of the acoustic emission and digital image correlation parameters were found to be consistent with each other, reflecting the stages of the fracture process, caused by the features of this process and characterized by the achievement of critical points on the stress-strain curve. Informative indicators of cyclic degradation were determined, including the total number of events (ΣN_AE), the average acoustic emission signal activity the b_AE-value, amplitude damage parameter D, the average rise angle (RA) and the sizes of the low- and high-deformation plastic zones (S_L and S_H). A shift in the maximum b_AE-value towards lower deformation has been detected with an increase in relative lifetime (N/N_f), associated with an earlier transition from the accumulation of small cracks to their merging. This is confirmed by a further decrease in the b_AE-value and D parameter. Preliminary cycling of F500W steel specimens to N/N_f = 0.4 and 0.6 does not significantly alter the shape of the deformation curves, and values of residual strength and fracture work. However, increasing the number of cycles to N/N_f = 0.8 causes an increase in yield strength and a decrease in tensile strength, fracture energy, and the ratio of tensile strength to yield strength. This indicates a decrease in the material’s plasticity after cyclic loading.

1. Qiao K., Liu Z., Sun Z., et al. Effects of low temperature overload and cycling temperature on fatigue crack growth behavior of ship steels in Arctic environments / Ocean Eng. 2023. Vol. 288. 116090. DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.116090

2. Zhang X., Cui C., Zhang Q. Evaluation of low-temperature high-cycle fatigue life of Q500qENH based on thermodynamic entropy / Eng. Struct. 2025. Vol. 343. 121124. DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2025.121124

3. Chen M. T., Cai A., Pandey M., et al. Mechanical properties of high strength steels and weld metals at arctic low temperatures / Thin-Walled Struct. 2023. Vol. 185. 110543. DOI: 10.1016/j.tws.2023.110543

4. Shaposhnikov N. O., Ermakov B. S., Shvetsov O. V., et al. Influence of metal structural heterogeneity in a sheet tube billet on forming mechanical properties and crack resistance of steel pipes for operation in the Arctic climate conditions: CIS iron and steel review. — Ore and Metals Publishing house, 2024. Vol. 28. P. 69 – 74. DOI: 10.17580/cisisr.2024.02.12

5. Filin V. Yu. Quality control of steels for large-sized welded structures of the arctic shelf. Application of Russian and foreign requirements / Vopr. Materialoved. 2019. Vol. 98. No. 2. P. 136 – 153 [in Russian]. DOI: 10.22349/1994-6716-2019-98-2-136-153

6. Layus P., Kah P., Ryabov V., et al. Evaluation of applicability of thick E500 TMCP and F500W QT steel plates for Arctic service / Int. J. Mech. Mater. Eng. 2016. Vol. 11. No. 1.4. DOI: 10.1186/s40712-016-0057-z

7. Shi S. Evaluating the structural integrity of high strength low alloy steels considered for shipbuilding using acoustic emission: a thesis for the degree of Master of Research. — University of Birmingham, 2015. — 107 p.

8. Akpan U. O., Koko T. S., Ayyub B., et al. Risk assessment of aging ship hull structures in the presence of corrosion and fatigue / Marine Struct. 2002. Vol. 15. No. 3. P. 211 – 231. DOI: 10.1016/s0951-8339(01)00030-2

9. Kappatos V., Dermatas E. Structural health monitoring of ship and other offshore structures using acoustic emission testing / J. K. Burnet, ed. Theory and Uses of Acoustic emissions. — Nova Science Publishers, 2012. P. 95 – 106.

10. Rivera F. G., Edwards G., Eren E., Soua S. Acoustic emission technique to monitor crack growth in a mooring chain / Appl. Acoust. 2018. Vol. 139. P. 156 – 164. DOI: 10.1016/j.apacoust.2018.04.034

11. Pan B. Recent progress in digital image correlation / Exp. Mech. 2011. Vol. 51. No. 7. P. 1223 – 1235. DOI: 10.1007/s11340-010-9418-3

12. Cox S. J. D., Meredith P. G. Microcrack formation and material softening in rock measured by monitoring acoustic emissions / Int. J. Rock Mech. Mining Sci. Geomech. Abstrs. 1993. Vol. 30. No. 1. P. 11 – 24. DOI: 10.1016/0148-9062(93)90172-a

13. Colombo I. S., Main I. G., Forde M. C. Assessing damage of reinforced concrete beam using «b-value» analysis of acoustic emission signals / J. Mater. Civil Eng. 2003. Vol. 15. No. 3. P. 280 – 286. DOI: 10.1061/(asce)0899-1561(2003)15:3(280)

14. Blaber J., Adair B., Antoniou A. Ncorr: open-source 2D digital image correlation MATLAB software / Exp. Mech. 2015. Vol. 55. No. 6. P. 1105 – 1122. DOI: 10.1007/s11340-015-0009-1

15. Klevtsov G. V., Botvina L. R. Microscopic and macroscopic plastic deformation as a criterion of the limiting state of a material during fracture / Strength Mater. 1984. Vol. 16. No. 4. P. 473 – 479. DOI: 10.1007/bf01529228

16. Botvina L. R., Bolotnikov A. I., Sinev I. O. Hierarchy of microcracks under cyclic and static loads / Phys. Mesomech. 2020. Vol. 23. No. 6. P. 466 – 476. DOI: 10.1134/s1029959920060028

17. Kozinkina A. I., Rybakova L. M. Accounting for the features of fracture kinetics in assessing the reliability and durability of structural materials / Vestn. Mashinostr. 2003. No. 12. P. 27 – 29 [in Russian].

18. Panin S. V., Byakov A. V., Lyubutin P. S., et al. Study of deformation and fracture using data of acoustic emission, correlation of digital images and strain-gauging / Industr. Lab. Mater. Diagn. 2011. Vol. 77. No. 9. P. 50 – 59 [in Russian].

19. Monakhov A. D., Gulyaev M. M., Gladysheva N. E., et al. Using the method of correlation of digital images for plotting stress-strain curves in true coordinates / Izv. Vuzov. Tsvet. Met. 2023. No. 3. P. 79 – 88 [in Russian]. DOI: 10.17073/0021-3438-2023-3-79-88

20. Botvina L. R., Bolotnikov A. I., Sinev I. O. On characteristic degradation stresses of structural materials under tension / Metally. 2025. No. 2. P. 49 – 56 [in Russian]. DOI: 10.31857/s0869573325024956

21. Sinev I. O. On the correlation between damage and nondestructive testing parameters during tension of specimens made of shipbuilding steel F500W / Physical chemistry and technology of inorganic materials: proc. of the 20th Russian annual conf. of young researchers and postgraduate students. — Moscow: Buki Vedi, 2023. P. 97 – 99 [in Russian].

22. Rybakova L. M. Mechanical patterns of metal destruction during bulk and surface plastic deformation / Probl. Mashinostr. Nadezhn. Mash. 1998. No. 5. P. 113 – 123 [in Russian].

23. Panin S. V., Byakov A. V., Grenke V. V., et al. Multiscale monitoring of localized plastic strain evolution stages in notched aluminum AA 2024 alloy tension specimens by acoustic emission and television-optical techniques / Phys. Mesomech. 2010. Vol. 13. No. 3 – 4. P. 203 – 211. DOI: 10.1016/j.physme.2010.07.014

24. Cui Z., He S., Tang J., et al. Effect of grain size on the plastic deformation behaviors of a Fe – 18Mn – 1.3Al – 0.6C austenitic steel / Materials. 2022. Vol. 15. No. 24. 8717. DOI: 10.3390/ma15248717

25. Gutierrez-Urrutia I., Raabe D. Dislocation and twin substructure evolution during strain hardening of an Fe – 22 wt.% Mn – 0.6 wt.% C TWIP steel observed by electron channeling contrast imaging / Acta Mater. 2011. Vol. 59. No. 16. P. 6449 – 6462. DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2011.07.009

26. Mahato B., Shee S. K., Sahu T., et al. An effective stacking fault energy viewpoint on the formation of extended defects and their contribution to strain hardening in a Fe – Mn – Si – Al twinning-induced plasticity steel / Acta Mater. 2015. Vol. 86. P. 69 – 79. DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2014.12.015

27. Botvina L. R., Tyutin M. R., Petersen T. B. The acoustic gap as a diagnostic sign of prefracture / Dokl. RAN. 2018. Vol. 63. No. 4. P. 173 – 176. DOI: 10.1134/s1028335818040067