ME220 : Materials Laboratory

Fatigue Test
and
Wave Propagation Experiment

Prof. Jow Ding

Summer 2020
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Fatigue Loading:
A repetitive loading occurring at a stress level below material’s
yield strength or ultimate strength
Examples:
• Rotation of shaft leads to repetitive loading
• Shafts and axles often have stepped geometry to
accommodate power transmission components
such as gears or pulleys. This sudden changes in
cross section create stress concentration and are
potential spots for fatigue failure.

(a) Ground loads on the wings.

(b) Distribution of the wing bending moment induced by the
ground load.
(c) Stress in the lower wing induced by the ground and flight loads.
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Why is fatigue study important?

90% of structural failure is due to fatigue.

 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Terminology related to fatigue loading

∆𝜎 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚 − 𝑚𝑚𝑚 stress range

∆𝜎
𝜎 = 2
alternating stress

𝑚𝑚𝑚+𝜎𝑚𝑚𝑚
𝜎 = mean stress
2

Stress fluctuates around the mean stress with an amplitude

equal to alternating stress
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Fatigue Test: rotating beam fatigue test machine

S: maximum bending stress

M: bending moment
𝑆
𝑀𝑀= 𝐼 I: moment of inertia
r: radius of the sample

S=0

S = Mr/I

S=0

Specimen is like a S = - Mr/I

rotating cantilever beam
Notice that the mean stress is zero in this
test
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
S-N curve and endurance limit Se
Raw data to be collected:
For each imposed S, record the number of cycles (N) to failure
Analysis of the data:
• Plot log S vs log N to get the S-N curve.
• Identify the endurance limit Se

Se : maximum alternating stress that can be applied

under zero mean stress without causing fatigue failure.
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Approximation of S-N curve

Su : ultimate tensile strength

3 6
N = 10 : 0.9 Su ; N = 10 : 0.5 Su

Implication: Se can be estimated as half of the ultimate strength

 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Effect of mean stress and fatigue design

𝑚 𝑚
Goodman line: Based on ultimate tensile strength Su: + =1𝜎
𝑆 𝑆
𝜎𝑚𝑚 𝑒 𝑢
+= 1
Soderberg line: Based on yield strength Sy:
𝑆𝑆
𝑒 𝑦

𝜎 ,𝜎 ∶ 𝑒 , 𝑆𝑢 , 𝑆𝑦 ∶
applied stresses

material
properties
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Fatigue failure characteristics:

Fracture surface of a shaft due to

fatigue failure
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Fatigue failure characteristics:

Fatigue loading with constant amplitude

Fatigue loading with varying amplitude

 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Shot-peening surface treatment to increase fatigue life

Shot-peening introduces compressive stress on the surface

to suppress surface crack from growing
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Wave Propagation Experiment
Purpose: use sound speed measurement to determine
the stiffness (Young’s modulus) of a material

Experiment Setup:
ME220 : Materials Laboratory
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
oscilloscope record:

wave speed can be measured as: 𝑐 = 2𝐿/∆𝑡

where L is the length of the bar
 ME220 : Materials Laboratory
Determination of the Young’s modulus (E):

𝐸
𝑐= 𝜌∶ density
𝜌

2
or
𝐸 = 𝜌𝑐