WORK INSTRUCTION Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology

1.0 JOB/EXPERIMENT NO.: CE793A/06

2.0 NAME OF EXPERIMENT: Fatigue Test(Rotary Bending Method)

3.0 OBJECTIVE: Objective of the experiment is to determine the (i) Drawing

S-N curve of the material (ii) Endurance limit of materials. Endurance limit is
used as design criteria of machine components under dynamic loading (iii) Study
the fracture surface.

4.0 INTRODUCTION:
Failures occurring under conditions of dynamic loading are called fatigue
failures, presumably because it is generally observed that these failures occur
only after a considerable period of service. Fatigue has become progressively
more prevalent as technology has

Fig: Fatigue fracture surface. At low magnifications, the beach mark pattern indicates
fatigue as the fracture mechanism. The arrows show the direction of growth of the crack
front, whose origin is at the bottom of the photograph.

developed a greater amount of equipment, such as automobiles, aircraft,

compressors, pumps, turbines, etc., subject to repeated loading and vibration,
until today it is often stated that fatigue accounts for at least 90 percent of all
service failures due to mechanical causes. A fatigue failure is particularly
insidious because it occurs without any obvious warning. Fatigue results in a
brittle-appearing fracture, with no gross deformation at the fracture. On a
macroscopic scale the fracture surface is usually normal to the direction of the
principal tensile stress. Frequently the progress of the fracture is indicated by a

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series of rings, or "beach marks," progressing inward from the point of initiation
of the failure.
Three basic factors are necessary to cause fatigue failure. These are (1) a
maximum tensile stress of sufficiently high value, (2) a large enough variation or
fluctuation in the applied stress, and (3) a sufficiently large number of cycles of
the applied stress. In addition, there are a host of other variables, such as
stress concentration, corrosion, temperature, overload, metallurgical structure,
residual stresses, and combined stresses, which tend to alter the conditions for
fatigue.
Fatigue failures typically occur in three stages. First, a tiny crack initiates or
nucleates typically at the surface, often at a time well after loading begins.
Normally, nucleation sites are at or near the surface, where the stress is at a
maximum, and include surface defects such as scratches or pits, sharp corners
due to poor design or manufacture, inclusions, grain boundaries, or dislocation
concentrations. Next, the crack gradually propagates as the load continues to
cycle. Finally, a sudden fracture of the material occurs when the remaining
cross-section of the material is too small to support the applied load. Thus,
components fail by fatigue because even though the overall applied stress may
remain below the yield stress, at a local length scale the stress intensity exceeds
the yield strength. For fatigue to occur, at least part of the stress in the material
has to be tensile.
Few parameters which are used to characterized the fluctuating stress
Mean stress Stress amplitude

Range of stress Stress ratio

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There are as many ways of

conducting a test to measure
fatigue as there are ways of
applying repeated stresses to a
metal. A specimen of rotating beam type is often used because of
its simplicity. In a fatigue test, the premium output is number of
cycles required to fracture the specimen at a given stress. If the
maximum tensile stress appliedis only slightly less than the yield
strength (or tensile strength), test will run only a few cycles.
Continues reduction of the stress greatly increases the life of the

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specimen, hence fatigue data is usually presented by plotting

maximum stress (S) against number of cycles to fracture (N), using
a logarithmic scale for the latter variable. This form of curve, S-N
curve, shown in figurer, is significant because there is a stress
below which the specimens do not fracture. This limiting stress is
called fatigue limit or
endurance limit (σe), below
which fatigue will never occur.
Fatigue limit can be related to
tensile strength of the
material, and the ratio of
fatigue limit to tensile strength
is known as endurance ratio.
Most steels have distinct
fatigue limit, and is usually
about 0.4-0.5 of tensile strength i.e. endurance ratio=0. 4-0.5.
Unlike steels, most nonferrous metals do not have a fatigue limit
i.e. S-N curve continues to fall steadily with decreasing stress,
though at a decreasing rate. Thus, fatigue will ultimately occur
regardless of the magnitude of the applied stress. Fatigue response
of these materials is specified for a number of stress cycles,
normally 107, and is known as fatigue strength. Another important
parameter that characterizes a material’s fatigue behavior is
fatigue life, Nf, number of cycles to cause fatigue failure at a
specified stress level.

5.0 PRINCIPLE:
To determine the strength of materials under the action of
fatigue loads, specimens are subjected to repeated or varying
forces of specified
magnitudes while the
cycles or stress
reversals are counted
to destruction. This
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machine subjects the specimen to pure bending (no transverse

shear) by means of weights. The specimen, shown in Fig. is very
carefully machined and polished, with a final polishing in an axial
direction to avoid circumferential scratches.
To establish the fatigue strength of a material, quite a number of
tests are necessary because of the
statistical nature of fatigue. For the
rotating-beam test, a constant
bending moment is applied in the test
specimen, and the number of
revolutions (stress reversals) of the
beam required for failure is recorded.
This applied constant bending
moment is related to the maximum
tensile or compressive stress coming into the test specimen by the
following
relation.

Mc M ( d / 2)
S f   max  
I  (d 4 )
64 The first test is made at a stress
32M

d 3
(accordingly bending moment is selected in the test setup) that is

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somewhat under the ultimate strength of the material. The second

test is made at a stress that is less than that used in the first. This
process is continued, and the results are plotted as an S-N
diagram. This chart may be plotted on semi log paper or on log-log
paper. In the case of ferrous metals and alloys, the graph becomes
horizontal after the material has been stressed for a certain
number of cycles. Plotting on log paper emphasizes the bend in the
curve, which might not be apparent if the results were plotted by
using Cartesian coordinates.
The ordinate of the S-N diagram is called the fatigue strength S f ; a
statement of this strength value must always be accompanied by a
statement of the number of cycles N to which it corresponds. In the
case of the steels, a knee occurs in the graph, and beyond this
knee failure will not occur, no matter how great the number of
cycles. The strength corresponding to the knee is called the
endurance limit Se,
or the fatigue
limit. The graph of
figure never does
become horizontal for nonferrous metals and alloys, and hence
these materials do not have an endurance limit. For preliminary
and prototype design and for some failure analysis as well, a quick
method of estimating endurance limits is needed. For steels,

Where Sut is the minimum tensile strength and the prime mark on
Se in this equation refers to the rotating-beam specimen itself.
We have seen that the rotating-beam specimen used in the
laboratory to determine endurance limits is prepared very carefully
and tested under closely controlled conditions. It is unrealistic to
expect the endurance limit of a mechanical or structural member
to match the values obtained in the laboratory.

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A Marin equation is therefore written as

Se is the endurance limit of any particular machine element

subjected to any kind of loading.
where
ka = surface condition modification factor
kb = size modification factor
kc = load modification factor
kd = temperature modification factor
ke = reliability factor13
kf = miscellaneous-effects modification factor
Se’= rotary-beam test specimen endurance limit
Se = endurance limit at the critical location of a machine part in
the geometry and condition of use

6.0 APPARATUS & SPECIMEN REQUIRED:

6.1 Rotating beam fatigue test setup.
6.2 Standard Test Specimen
6.3 Vernier Caliper

7.0 PROCEDURE:
The procedures of each experiment run are determined as the
following
7.1 The specimen is inserted inside the left and right grips of the
machine spindle.
7.2 Special weight (delivered with the machine) is placed on the
receiving plate of the loading mechanism
7.3 By adjusting the position in the calibrated bending moment
scale loading is given and according to the formula of bending
stress beam will be stressed.

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7.4 The motor of the machine is started up and the test is run
after adjusting the motor revolution per minutes during testing

7.5 During testing the number of revolution, N, is digitally

recorded by using built-in photocell attached at the end of the right
rotary spindle which contains toothed disc rotate with the spindle
between the two sides of the photocell sensor. The signal of the
photocell is transmitted to a digital counter mounted on the
machine

7.6 After fracturing the machine is stopped automatically and the

number of revolution at fracturing is displayed on the front panel
of the machine.

7.7 The test is repeated under different load until adequate

numbers of points can be plot to obtain the S-N curve
7.8 From the S-N curve find the endurance limit.
7.9 Study the nature of fracture surface

Dimensions of the Test piece (Paste the drawing)

d=Diameter at the test section under pure bending ( cm):
………………….
Temperature of the specimen:……………………….

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Maximum
bending stress
Bending applied Number of
Moment
Sl. Sample applied cycles(N)/stress
Sf=32M/(πd3)
No. Material (M) reversals up to
(kgcm) (kg/cm ) 2
fatigue failure

1.

2.

3.

4.

7.1 Plot the result in fatigue strength (S f) Vs number of rotation

before failure (N) & find out the endurance limit of the test
specimen.
7.2 Study the fracture surface carefully and make comments
also paste a photograph of the fractured surface.
7.3 All readings, calculation, drawing etc. should be done on a
loose sheet. On completion of the Job/Experiment present it to the
sessional in–charge for his/her signature and performance
gradation. Grading shall be as per University rules.

8.0 SAFETY:
8.1 Test piece should be properly placed in the chuck.
8.2 Keep safe distance during rotation of the sample.
8.3 Do not touch the specimen just after the fatigue failure
because of large temperature rise of the specimen.

9.0 DISPOSAL: N.A.

10.0 REPORT WRITING:

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10.1 Attach the rough note with your final report.

10.2 The front page of report shall be as per the format given.
10.3 Report sheet must contain the following article in order.
 Experiment No
 Name of Experiment
 Objective of the Experiment
 Principle
 Apparatus used
 Procedure
 Results & Discussion
 Calculation (Calculation must be given at least for one
reading.)
 Assignments:
Q1. How corrosion affect the fatigue failure of the materials?
Q2. What is endurance limit? Why this is important?
Q3. How surface roughnesses affect fatigue failure of a
material?
Q4. Give few examples of machine components where fatigue
failure
may
occur.

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