Steel of the mild-strength S355J2+N steel grade is the most often used steel for manufacturing carrying sections of constructions exposed to fatigue loads. The use of high-strength steels, such as S690QL, allows for the creation of structures that are light and simple to construct. However, increasing the yield strength of high-strength steels does not result in a corresponding increase in fatigue resistance. As a result, using high-strength steels for constructions subjected to fatigue loading can be a major design concern, raising the question of whether high-strength steels should be used at all. Most of the experimental investigations regarding the hot work tool steel X37CrMoV5-1 found in the literature are focused on its machining and wear resistance, with insufficient attention paid to the cyclic loads. This article evaluates the fatigue properties of mild-strength S355J2+N, high-strength S690QL, and X37CrMoV5-1 steel grades. A SHIMADZU servo-hydraulic testing machine is used to perform uniaxial tensile tests under uniaxial fatigue stress-controlled, fully reversed conditions (tensile–compression testing with R = −1 stress ratio) in accordance with EN ISO and ASTM standards. The aim of this paper is to highlight the fatigue characteristics of these three steels that are among the most used in their respective groups. Steel S355J2+N belongs to the group of hot-rolled normalized steels, S690QL belongs to the group of improved (quenched + tempered) steels with increased strength, and X37CrMoV5-1 belongs to the group of high-alloyed tool steels for hot work. This choice was made as the tested steels can be considered typical representatives of their groups. Based on the test results of these three steels, which are organized in S–N curves, the fatigue behavior of the entire mentioned groups of steels can be foreseen.

Steel structures are designed to operate in an elastic domain, but sometimes plastic strains induce damage and fracture. Besides experimental investigation, a phase-field damage model (PFDM) emerged as a cutting-edge simulation technique for predicting damage evolution. In this paper, a von Mises metal plasticity model is modified and a coupling with PFDM is improved to simulate ductile behavior of metallic materials with or without constant stress plateau after yielding occurs. The proposed improvements are: (1) new coupling variable activated after the critical equivalent plastic strain is reached; (2) two-stage yield function consisting of perfect plasticity and extended Simo-type hardening functions. The uniaxial tension tests are conducted for verification purposes and identifying the material parameters. The staggered iterative scheme, multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient, and logarithmic natural strain measure are employed for the implementation into finite element method (FEM) software. The coupling is verified by the ‘one element’ example. The excellent qualitative and quantitative overlapping of the force-displacement response of experimental and simulation results is recorded. The practical significances of the proposed PFDM are a better insight into the simulation of damage evolution in steel structures, and an easy extension of existing the von Mises plasticity model coupled to damage phase-field.

Crawler travel gear is a type of heavy vehicle propulsion that is commonly found in tanks, excavators, and specialized off-road vehicles. They have an advantage over wheels when it comes to robust vehicle weight distribution over soft terrain, and some disadvantages as well. They can damage paved roads and have complex design so, considering the enormous weight they must carry, their reliability must be determined and verified. The main parts of the assembly are the drive wheels, which move the crawler, and the supporting structure that holds four-wheel bogies and two-wheel bogies. In this paper, we present a methodology for FEM analysis of parts of an eight-wheel bogie according to DIN 22261-2 standard.

The paper presents a functionality investigation of the key dam elements based on finite element analysis. A detailed analysis of filtration processes, dam strength, and the surrounding rock mass was conducted. Dam elements whose potential damage could jeopardize the normal functioning of the embankment dam have been identified. A particular emphasis was placed on the analysis of dam elements that have been identified as weak points. A numerical analysis of the impact of individual grout curtain zone failure on leakage under the dam body, a strength analysis of the overflow section, as well as the analysis of the slope stability that can compromise the functioning of the spillway have been performed. To analyze the partial stability of individual structural elements, a new measure of local stability was introduced as the remaining load-bearing capacity. As a case study, the Zavoj dam, which is a part of the Pirot reservoir system in the Republic of Serbia, was used. Investigation revealed that local damage to the grout curtain will not significantly increase leakage under the dam body, the overflow section is one of the most robust elements of the dam, but the slope above the spillway can compromise the functioning of the overflow and thus the safety of the entire dam. Based on the analysis of the results of the remaining load-bearing capacity, the dependence of the spillway capacity on earthquake intensity has been defined. The established relationship represents a surrogate model for further assessment of dynamic resilience of the complex multipurpose reservoir system, within the scope of the advanced reservoir system management.

This paper presents a method for implicit stress integration of the Drucker-Prager material model with kinematic hardening. The stress integration of the material model is conducted using the incremental plasticity method, while the kinematic hardening of material is defined using nonlinear Armstrong-Frederick hardening. This type of granular material hardening occurs as a consequence of the cyclic loading effects, such as the seismic load. For this reason, this material model is used for the earthquake analysis in the soil mechanics. Yield surface of the material model changes its position under the cyclic loads in the stress space, whereas there is no change in the size of the yield surface in deviatoric plane. The developed algorithm of the material model has been implemented in the software package PAK.