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A new look at an old technique for the measurement of fatigue crack-growth rates

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Abstract

An automated technique is described by which a sequence of ‘beachmarks’ (clam-shell markings) can be produced in a specimen during laboratory tests on the propagation of fatigue cracks. The subsequent use of the beachmarks for the measurement of the lengths of the cracks is described, and the intrinsic accuracy of the method is estimated. It is found that, although fewer data points are obtained by this method, they are more accurate and better characterized than those obtained by the more commonly used ‘indirect’ methods. In addition, valuable supplementary information is obtained from which it is possible to assess both the confidence intervals for the results, and the degree of crack front curvature.

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Abbreviations

a :

crack length

a o :

crack length at the start of a block or band of crack growth

da/dN :

rate of fatigue crack growth (meters per cycle)

ΔK :

alternating stress intensity

R :

ratio of minimum to maximum load in the fatigue waveform

ΔK av :

average alternating stress intensity over a block

ΔK eff :

effective alternating stress intensity over a block

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek), Pvt Bag X3015, 2125, Randburg, Republic of South Africa

    M. B. Cortie (Group Leader)

  2. Division of Materials Science and Technology, CSIR, P.O. Box 395, 0001, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa

    G. G. Garrett (Director)

Authors
  1. M. B. Cortie
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  2. G. G. Garrett
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Cortie, M.B., Garrett, G.G. A new look at an old technique for the measurement of fatigue crack-growth rates. Experimental Mechanics 29, 291–294 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02321410

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02321410

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