Experimental and Numerical Study of Wrought Inconel 718 Under Thermal Cycles of Variable Amplitude Coupled with Mechanical Loading

In this paper, a pulsed laser is applied to realize these complicated thermal cycles experimentally, coupling with the constant mechanical loading with the self-designed sample holder. A numerical simulation model is proposed to calculate the temperature and stress under thermal cycles of variable amplitude coupled with mechanical loading. The findings indicate a strong correlation between the measured temperature curve and the simulated results under various loading parameters. It is observed that the calculated depth of thermal–structural interaction for low-cycle conditions exceeds that of high-cycle conditions. In addition, the mechanism of crack evolution under thermal cycles of variable amplitude coupled with mechanical loading is discussed. This paper offers extensive experimental and numerical perspectives on the damage process occurring under thermal cycles of varying amplitudes combined with mechanical loading, highlighting its substantial engineering importance for conducting failure analyses and optimizing the design of hot-end components.