LAB

FATIGUE TEST
INTRODUCTION
Most machinery and many structures do not operate under a constant load and
stress. In fact, these loads and stresses are constantly changing. A good
example of this is a rotating shaft such as the axle on a railroad car. The bending
stresses change from tension to compression as the axle rotates. This constant
change in stress can cause fatigue failure in which the material suddenly
fractures. The process that leads to fatigue failure is the initiation and growth of
cracks in the material. Fracture occurs when the crack grows so large that the
remaining uncracked material can no longer support the applied loads. Fatigue
may be defined as a cyclic (or stochastic) time-dependent loading or straining of
a material. The change in the loading with respect to time is more common from
an engineering perspective and is generally considered to be mechanically
induced. Some examples of this are: the changing compressive and tensile
stresses due to the rotation of a train or car axle; the forces on an airplane wing;
the forces on structural components of buildings, etc.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Equipment
Fatigue testing machine of rotary bending fatigue method is used in order to
perform the experimental work. The machine is designed and manufactured by
the testing equipment division of SHIMAZU CORPORATION Company. The
model of the machine is H . This machine model is especially designed to
determine fatigue properties under room and high temperature. The fatigue
machine is shown schematically in Figure
specifications of the fatigue machine.

. Table

also gives the general

No.

Item Name
Driving motor
Rotary pivot of left rotary spindle
Left rotary spindle
Center of loading applied on the
left spindle
Hanger of the left spindle
Specimen

No.

Item Name
Arm lever
Right rotary spindle
Loading rod
Loading jack
Rotary pivot of right rotary spindle
Receiver plate of load system

Figure

Schematic drawing of the fatigue machine

Table

Main specifications of Fatigue Machine

Maximum bending motor

Testing speed
Inverter
Driving motor

kg/m
r.p.m

Mitsubishi inverter device,

frequency of A
Three phases,

Machine dimensions
WDH in mm
(changing of the test revolution speed is due to using of inverter)

V,

Specimen Dimensions
The dimensions of the specimen used in the experimental work are given in
Figure

. However, Figure

shows the other dimensions of the testing

specimens used for testing under high temperature.

Figure

Figure

Dimensions of fatigue specimens

Fatigue specimen used for testing under high temperature

Experimental Procedures
The procedures of each experiment run are determined as the following:

- The specimen is inserted inside the left and right grips of the machine spindle.
- Special weight (delivered with the machine) is placed on the receiving plate of
the loading mechanism to compensate the unbalance of both left and right
rotary spindles.

- The predetermined weights to apply the required stress

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

r.p.m.

- During testing the number of revolution, N, is digitally recorded by using builtin 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

- After fracturing the machine is stopped automatically and the number of

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

- The test is repeated under different load until adequate numbers of points can
be plot to obtain the S-N curve

Students Work
TENSION TEST
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The following data are obtained from a previous test it is required to plot any
group data on simelog scale and determine the endurance limit.
The fatigue data for a brass alloy are given as follows:

Group
Stress
(MPa)

Cycles to
Failure
x
x
. x
x
x
x
x

Group
Stress
(MPa)

Cycles to
Failure
. x
. x
. x
x
. x
. x

Group
Stress
(MPa)

Cycles to
Failure
x
. x
. x
. x
x
. x
x

Group
Stress
(MPa)

Cycles to
Failure
x
x
. x
x
x
x
x

Group
Stress
(MPa)

Cycles to
Failure
x
x
x
x
. x
x
x

Group
Stress
(MPa)

Cycles to
Failure
x
. x
. x
. x
x
. x
x