MECH 2272: Engineering Materials 1

Lab 4: Fatigue

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Manitoba
 Objective

1. Investigate how cyclic loading affects the performance of

materials through fatigue testing
2. Study how surface defects affect fatigue behaviour
3. Learn how to use S-N curves to predict fatigue life

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 Motivation
Suppose we have a steel rod with the following properties:

• Yield Strength = 120 Mpa

• Ultimate Tensile Strength = 155MPa

• Is it possible for this rod to fail at a stress of 70 MPa?

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 Motivation

YES

• If the loading is dynamic, or cyclic, failure is possible

below the yield stress.

• This is known as fatigue

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 Motivation

FATIGUE (cyclic loading) accounts for about 90%

of all in-service metallic parts failure.

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 Motivation

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 Fatigue

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 Fatigue
Tension

Compression

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 Fatigue

Let us investigate the case of a rotating shaft subjected to load:

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 Fatigue

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Stress-Time Modes
𝜎!"# + 𝜎!$%
𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝜎! =
2

∆𝜎 𝜎!"# − 𝜎!$%
𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒, 𝜎" = =
2 2

𝜎!$%
𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜, 𝑅 =
𝜎!"#

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 Fatigue

This repeated cyclic loading leads to degradation of the

material in the form of cracking and eventually fracture

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 Fatigue

1. Crack initiation

2. Crack propagation

3. Sudden fracture

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 Crack Initiation
Starts at the surface due to material imperfections such as:
• Scratches
• Sharp corners due to poor design or manufacturing
• Pits
• Grain boundaries
• Dislocation concentrations

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 Crack Propagation & Fracture

• The crack gradually grows as the load continues to cycle.

• A sudden fracture of the material occurs when the

remaining cross-section of the material is too small to support
the applied load.

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 Crack Propagation & Fracture

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 S-N Curves

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S-N Curves
Relationship exists between Stress Amplitude (S) and
Number of Cycles to Failure (N)

Stress amplitude Number of cycles

to failure
No equation to predict this behavior
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 S-N Curves

UTS
Stress

0 (1 cycle) Log N

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 Fatigue Testing

• Fatigue Strength: The Stress at

which a material will fail after
a specified number of cycles
Fatigue
Strength at • Fatigue Life: The number of
N1 Cycles cycles at which a material will
fail under a specified load

Fatigue Life
at S1
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S-N
Grinding
Curves

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 Endurance Limit

• May also be called Fatigue Limit

• Characteristic of Ferrous Metals
• Stress below which there is little to no
chance or very low chance of fatigue
failure
• 30-60% of the tensile strength.

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 Fatigue Factors

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 Factors That Affect Fatigue
1. Processing route/Fabrication method
2. Component geometry
3. Surface preparation
4. Service Environment
5. Mean & Applied Stress

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 Improving Fatigue Life

1. Processing Route
• Use of materials with higher yield strength (by prior cold
working)

2. Component Geometry
• Avoid discontinuities such as sharp corners, holes, grooves, etc

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 Improving Fatigue Life

3. Surface Preparation
• Surface Polishing
Carburizing
C
• Surface Coating C
Furnace

• Surface Hardening C
C
• Carburizing/Nitriding
C
• Shot Peening C
C
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 Improving Fatigue Life

4. Service Environment
• High Temperatures decrease fatigue life

• Corrosive Environment accelerates fatigue

• Often unavoidable, material must be selected appropriately

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 Improving Fatigue Life
5. Stresses
• Higher mean stress decreases fatigue life

• Decrease the applied load (applicable

to materials with endurance limit)
• Design for a fixed life cycle

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 Fatigue Testing

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Fatigue Testing
Load bearing Load bearing
fixture fixture
Test specimen

Motor
Weights

Rotating cantilever beam fatigue test

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S-N
Grinding
Curve

32 % 𝑀 % 𝐿
𝜎= !
= 𝑀𝑃𝑎
𝜋%𝑑

M = Load (N)
d = Specimen centre diameter (cm)
L = Length (cm)

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 Fatigue Testing
• High Cycle Fatigue: Applied stress is relatively low, below the yield
stress of the material. Deformation is primarily elastic.

N > 105 cycles

• Low Cycle Fatigue: Applied stress is relatively high, above the yield
stress of the material. Deformation is primarily plastic.
N < 105 cycles

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 Demonstration

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 Fatigue Testing
• 1018 Carbon Steel
• L = 85 mm
• D = 5 mm

• Effect of:
• Surface Defect
• Applied Load

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 Results & Discussion

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 Effect of stresses

1018 Steel

S
Without Notch With Notch
(MPa)

404.8

427.3

449.8

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 Effect of Stresses
1018 Steel
S
N
(MPa)
269.9 4.1 X 106
314.9 4.2 X 105
359.8 2.3 X 105
404.8 1.3 X 105
427.3 9 X 104
449.8 7.1 X 104
472.3 4.9 X104
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 Effect of defect

1018 Steel
S
N Remark
(MPa)
427.3 9 X 104 Failed ≈ 6 min
Effect of Surface Defect
427.3 2.3 X104 Failed ≈ 2 min

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 Effect of Material
1018 Steel 6061 Aluminum
S
N S N
(MPa)
269.9 4.1 X 106 157.4 1.8 X 106
314.9 4.2 X 105 179.9 3.9 X 105
359.8 2.3 X 105 202.4 2.7 X 105
404.8 1.3 X 105 224.9 1.1 X105
427.3 9 X 104 238.4 6.1 X 104
449.8 7.1 X 104 251.9 3.2 X 104
472.3 4.9 X104 269.9 2.3 X104
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 Sources of Error
• Speed of test must be consistent
• Load should be stationary and vertically
• Sample/bearings not straight/not level
• Sample not tight within bearings
• Surface defects on samples
• Environmental effects: Temperature

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Until Next Time!

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