PSI - Issue 80

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2022) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2022) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 80 (2026) 177–186

© 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Ferri Aliabadi Abstract Nitriding creates compressive residual stress on the surface to enhance hardness and improve the fatigue life of mechanical components, such as gears. However, subsurface tensile stresses are induced and must be evaluated to ensure structural reliability potentially causing damage to nucleate beneath the surface. In this article, a case study has been analysed in which the application of a high overload during meshing leads to the plastic deformation of the tooth, and consequently to a redistribution of residual stresses. Specifically, the study focused on how this alteration of the stress state, previously generated by nitriding, affects the fatigue resistance of the component. The analysis was carried out using Finite Element simulations. First, the residual stresses induced by the treatment were estimated, and then simulated. After that the plasticizing load was applied. Several meshing configurations were simulated to identify critical zones of plasticization and stress redistribution. Results highlighted that the most intense plasticization regions were on the boundary between treated and untreated areas. Finally, a standard load history was applied to the component subjected to the overload to evaluate its fatigue behaviour. The proposed methodology effectively captures how residual stress alteration reduces fatigue resistance, offering a robust approach for fatigue forecasts. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Professor Ferri Aliabadi Fracture, Damage and Structural Health Monitoring A Finite Element Methodology for the Fatigue Analysis of a Gear with Nitriding Treatment Subjected to a Potential Overload Francesco Manni a, *, Simone Messina a , Matteo Giacopini a a University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Engineering Department Enzo Ferrari, via Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena (MO), Italy. Abstract Nitriding creates compressive residual stress on the surface to enhance hardness and improve the fatigue life of mechanical components, such as gears. However, subsurface tensile stresses are induced and must be evaluated to ensure structural reliability potentially causing damage to nucleate beneath the surface. In this article, a case study has been analysed in which the application of a high overload during meshing leads to the plastic deformation of the tooth, and consequently to a redistribution of residual stresses. Specifically, the study focused on how this alteration of the stress state, previously generated by nitriding, affects the fatigue resistance of the component. The analysis was carried out using Finite Element simulations. First, the residual stresses induced by the treatment were estimated, and then simulated. After that the plasticizing load was applied. Several meshing configurations were simulated to identify critical zones of plasticization and stress redistribution. Results highlighted that the most intense plasticization regions were on the boundary between treated and untreated areas. Finally, a standard load history was applied to the component subjected to the overload to evaluate its fatigue behaviour. The proposed methodology effectively captures how residual stress alteration reduces fatigue resistance, offering a robust approach for fatigue forecasts. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Professor Ferri Aliabadi Fracture, Damage and Structural Health Monitoring A Finite Element Methodology for the Fatigue Analysis of a Gear with Nitriding Treatment Subjected to a Potential Overload Francesco Manni a, *, Simone Messina a , Matteo Giacopini a a University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Engineering Department Enzo Ferrari, via Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena (MO), Italy.

Keywords: Finite Element; Nitriding; Gear; High cycle fatigue analysis; Plasticization Keywords: Finite Element; Nitriding; Gear; High cycle fatigue analysis; Plasticization

1. Introduction Gears are widely used in engineering applications, where high durability and resistance under demanding operating 1. Introduction Gears are widely used in engineering applications, where high durability and resistance under demanding operating

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-059-205-6163 E-mail address: francesco.manni@unimore.it * Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-059-205-6163 E-mail address: francesco.manni@unimore.it

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Professor Ferri Aliabadi 2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Professor Ferri Aliabadi

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Ferri Aliabadi 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.02.017