Experimental and numerical study of the evolution of stored and dissipated energies in a medium carbon steel under cyclic loading

To obtain robust estimations of the fatigue limit from energy-based fatigue criteria, constitutive laws must include a correct description of the energy balance when modeling the cyclic behavior. The present paper aims at providing a better understanding of the evolution of the energy balance at both microscopic and macroscopic scales in a medium carbon steel. First, an experimental procedure is used to estimate the amount of energy which is either stored in the material or dissipated into heat at a macroscopic scale. The energy balance is observed to be very dependent on the stress amplitude and the number of loading cycles. A model is then developed to investigate the energy balance at a microscopic scale. From the simulation results, both the stored energy and dissipated energy fields are found to be strongly scattered. The dispersion is mostly explained by the crystallographic orientation distribution and the two-phased microstructure.

► We study the energy balance in a medium carbon steel under cyclic loading.
► An experimental procedure is used to estimate the macroscopic energy balance.
► A crystal plasticity model is developed to estimate the microscopic energy balance.
► The energy balance is dependent on the stress amplitude and the number of cycles.
► The stored energy and dissipated energy fields are found to be strongly scattered.