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Fatigue Lab-Fatigue in Aluminum

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7 views

Fatigue Lab-Fatigue in Aluminum

Uploaded by

wilcoxon007
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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43014 Applied Mechanics and Design B UTS: School of Mechanical & Mechatronic Eng.

LAB 2: FATIGUE IN ALUMINIUM

1 Objectives

1.1 To demonstrate fatigue failure in an aluminium specimen

1.2 To apply S-N method to predict the number of cycles to failure.

2 Appratus (test rig)

The test rig (shown on the right) is set up to apply a


cyclic bending load to a notched aluminium specimen.
The specimen is mounted in the rig as a cantilever
beam where one end is clamped and the force applied
at the tip of the other end. Close to the location of
maximum bending stress there is a U shaped notch to
create a stress concentration.

An electrodynamic shaker is used to generate the


cyclic force, and this force is measured by a strain-
gauge type force transducer mounted on the shaker.
The tip displacement is measured by a laser
triangulation displacement transducer. The force and
displacement signals are recorded on a computer and
the force signal is used as feedback for a closed loop
control system to maintain constant force amplitude
during the test.

The test specimen is shown below.

Test parameters

Material: Aluminium 6060-T5, with Sult = 150 MPa


Applied force: +/- N
Frequency: Hz

1
43014 Applied Mechanics and Design B UTS: School of Mechanical & Mechatronic Eng.

3 Theory

Stress-life (S-N) method can be used to predict the number of cycles to failure. The S-N
equation can be written as 𝑆𝑆𝑓𝑓 = 𝑎𝑎𝑁𝑁 𝑏𝑏 .

4 Test procedure

Apply fully reversed cyclic loading to the specimen until it fails.

5 Analysis and interpretation of results [10 marks]

5.1 Locate the critical section and calculate the internal loading acting on the critical section.
[1 mark]

5.2 Calculate the nominal normal stress at the critical section. Ignore the shear stress caused
by the shear force at the section. [2 marks]

5.3 For aluminium alloys, the standard fatigue strength at 5 × 108 cycles is given by 𝑆𝑆𝑛𝑛 =
0.4 × 𝑆𝑆𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢 for 𝑆𝑆𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢 < 330 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀. Using this information and the experimental data collected in
the lab from a number of fatigue tests, and plot S vs N on a log-log graph and determine the
coefficients a & b from the fitted line. [6 marks].

5.4 Using the coefficients a & b found above, use the S-N equation to predict the number of
cycles to failure for 0.5 x Sult . [1 mark].

Notes: Due to the difference in the materials of specimen, the mechanical properties may be
different.

Rev 7/23 (JC)

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