Fractographic observations on the mechanism of fatigue crack growth in aluminium alloys

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Abstract

Special load histories are adopted to obtain information about the behavior of the moving crack tip during the increasing and decreasing part of a load cycle. It is associated with the crack opening and closure of the crack tip. Secondly, modern SEM techniques are applied for observations on the morphology of the fractures surfaces of a fatigue crack. Information about the cross section profiles of striations are obtained. Corresponding locations of the upper and the lower fracture surface are also explored in view of the crack extension mechanism. Most experiments are carried out on sheet specimens of aluminum alloys 2024-T3, but 7050-T7451 specimens are also tested in view ofa different ductility of the two alloys.