Torsional fatigue behaviour and damage mechanisms in the very high cycle regime

Abstract

Purpose: of this paper: Many engineering components operate under combined torsion and axial cyclic loading conditions, which can result in fatigue fracture after a very long life regime of fatigue. This fatigue regime were carried out beyond 109 loading cycles called very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) to understand the fatigue properties and damage mechanisms of materials. Design/methodology/approach: Torsional fatigue tests were conducted using a 20 kHz frequency ultrasonic fatigue testing device. The results obtained were compared to those of the conventional torsional fatigue test machine operated at 35 Hz to observe any discrepancy in results due to frequency effects between two experiments. Findings: All the fatigue tests were done up to 1010 cycles at room temperature. Damage mechanisms in torsional fatigues such as crack initiation and propagation in different modes were studied by imaging the samples in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results of the two kinds of material show that the stress vs. number of cycle curves (S-N curves) display a considerable decrease in fatigue strength beyond 10 7 cycles. Research limitations/implications: Each test, the strain of specimen in the gage length must be calibrated with a strain gage bonded to the gage section. This is a critical point of this study. The results are very sensitive to the calibration system. Control of the displacement and the output of the power supply are made continuously by computer and recorded the magnitude of the strain in the specimen. Practical implications: torsional fatigue tests has been investigated in the very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) range for two kinds of alloys used very largely in automotive engine components. Based on the test results and analyses presented in this paper, practical applications are being actually carried out in the automotive industry essentially in France. Originality/value: Ultrasonic fatigue damage (VHCF >10 9 ) in VHCF is originally different from classical fatigue (up to 106) by typical internal fish eye formation. Additionally, fatigue crack of all the fractured specimens for the 2-AS5U3G-Y35 specimens initiated at the surface of the specimens. Fatigue fracture surfaces of AISI52100 steel specimens show a typical “scorpion-shaped” formation, which was considerably different from the fatigue fracture specimen subjected to axial cyclic loading, which exhibited the “fish-eye” formation.