Strength of Materials, Vol. 43, No.

1, January, 2011

LIFE PREDICTION OF TITANIUM AND ALUMINUM ALLOYS

UNDER FRETTING FATIGUE CONDITIONS
USING VARIOUS CRACK PROPAGATION CRITERIA.
PART 2. APPLICATION OF THE TECHNIQUE TO CYLINDRICAL SPECIMENS
WITH SEMI-ELLIPTICAL CRACK AND ACCOUNT OF THE RESIDUAL STRESSES

A. O. Khotsyanovskii UDC 539.4

In order to simulate the operating fretting-fatigue conditions in cylindrical structural components,

we have performed experimental studies on fretting fatigue of cylindrical specimens with clamped
concave cylindrical pads of bridge type. Using the known solutions for stress intensity factors in the
semi-elliptical cracks growing in cylindrical specimens, we predict the kinetics of propagation of
fretting-fatigue cracks according to the two-parameter model described in Part 1. A close
correlation of calculated and experimental fretting-fatigue life values is observed for AMg6N alloy
for varied experimental fretting conditions (contact load, slip amplitude and friction coefficient).
For alloy VT9 we have provided approbation of the technique, which takes into account distribution
of the residual stresses in the material subsurface during calculation of stress-strain state and life
under fretting-fatigue conditions.

Keywords: fretting fatigue, crack propagation stages, effective stress intensity factor, fatigue fracture diagram, life
prediction.

Fretting Fatigue Studies of Cylindrical Specimens. The approach proposed earlier [1] can be applied to
fretting fatigue in structural components with round cross section. For this purpose, we re-address the analogue
model [2], which implies similarity of the stress-strain states in the tips of cracks growing at the edge a rigid
punch/half-plane contact (Fig. 1à) and from a V-notch in a half-plane (Fig. 1b). In view of results obtained in [1], this
similarity can be used not only for calculation purposes, but for interpretation of the experimental data as well: if
crack propagation by shear mechanism (Mode II) is observed in particular materials (e.g., AMg6N and Al7075-T6
aluminum alloys) during implementation of the contact scheme (Fig. 1à), the same pattern can be expected to occur
in the loading scheme (Fig. 1b). On the other hand, the latter scheme is the Otsuka modified scheme [3] for Mode II
crack resistance tests, which envisages application of compressive bulk loads parallel to the initial crack. By growing
the initial crack in one of the two V-notches by pulse bending one can simulate the respective fretting-fatigue
conditions.
Since model [2] proposed for a half-plane is widely applied to plane specimens with high width/thickness
ratio under conditions of small crack length and high stress gradients, it is reasonable to assume that the
axisymmetric problem of a cylindrical body with a circular V-notch would similarly have the same asymptotic
solutions, as the contact problem of the uniform equilateral compression of a cylindrical body of diameter D by a
convex cylindrical ring of the same inner diameter. By applying a conditional axis of a symmetry X to cross
sections shown in Fig. 1, one can compare the bodies of revolution corresponding to the respective cross sections
(Fig. 1à and 1b).
Pisarenko Institute of Problems of Strength, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine.
Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 1, pp. 63 – 81, January – February, 2011. Original article submitted
February 8, 2010.

42 0039–2316/11/4301–0042 © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

 a b
Fig. 1. Equivalence of the contact problem with a flat rigid punch (à) and a double edge cracked
specimen (b) according to the crack analogue model [2].

a b
Fig. 2. Geometry of cylindrical specimens from AMg6N alloy (à) and pads from AMg6N alloy
and 30KhGSA steel for fretting-fatigue tests (b).

Fig. 3. Fixture of pads to a cylindrical specimen: (1) ring with strain gauges, (2) screw, (3) steel ball,
(4) pads, and (5) specimen.

If the analogue model [2] is expanded for the obtained bodies of revolution, then the SSS and propagation
conditions in the tip of a ring inclined crack in elastic cylindrical specimen subjected to tensile load with clamped
rigid ring of rectangular cross section are comparable to those occurring in a round disk with two V-notches, which
divide conditionally external and internal parts of the disk, the latter being subjected to tensile loading. Unfortunately,
during implementation of both schemes under study it is very problematic to obtain ring cracks – the semi-elliptical
cracks will inevitably appear, thus changing the axisymmetric problem into three-dimensional one.
Test Technique and Results for Cylindrical Specimens with Clamped Pads under Fretting Fatigue Conditions.
For testing of cylindrical specimens 5 mm in diameter from AMg6N aluminum alloy (Fig. 2a) we used various
fretting conditions and pads from AMg6N alloy and 30KhGSA steel with the inner surface diameter of 5 mm and
length L* = 5, 8, and 12 mm (Fig. 2b). Pads were clamped to the specimen working surface using fixture shown in
Fig. 3 with constant pressure values of 50 or 100 MPa, according to data of Table 1.
Specimens with clamped pads were subjected to cyclic push-pull tests of frequency 36 Hz in a MUN-2 test
bench. For various combinations of materials, pad lengths and pad pressure values shown in Table 1 we have
obtained six fretting fatigue curves (Fig. 4).

43
 TABLE 1. Fretting Conditions in Tests of Cylindrical Specimens with Clamped Pads
Specimen Pad Pad parameters Nominal pressure
material material Type Length, mm Area, mm 2 P, MPa
AMg6N alloy AMg6N alloy 1 12.0 13.70 50
AMg6N alloy AMg6N alloy 1 12.0 13.70 100
AMg6N alloy AMg6N alloy 1 8.0 13.70 100
AMg6N alloy AMg6N alloy 1 5.0 13.70 100
AMg6N alloy 30KhGSA steel 1 12.0 13.70 50
AMg6N alloy 30KhGSA steel 1 12.0 13.70 100
VT9 alloy VT10 alloy 2 7.5 9.25 80

a b
Fig. 4. Fretting-fatigue test results for cylindrical specimens from alloy AMg6N: (à) pads of 12 mm
length from AMg6N alloy (¢, £) or 30KhGSA steel (p, r) for P = 50 (¢, p) and 100 MPa (£, r);
(b) pads from AMg6N alloy of 5 (¢), 8 (˜), and 12 mm (p) length for P =100 MPa.

Fig. 5. Typical fractographies of specimens from AMg6N alloy subjected to push-pull test
under fretting fatigue conditions.

The fractographic analysis of failed specimens (Fig. 5) allows one to establish the following regularities of
fracture behavior which should be taken into account in calculations:
– fatigue cracks are initiated at one of the pad external edges (most often, the one closer to the test machine
active grip);
– at the major part of the pad edge contact with a specimen a semi-circular (crescent) crack of small depth is
initiated, which propagates under a variable angle to the contact surface;

44
 Fig. 6. The experimental scheme for determination of the material tribological parameters.

– there is a transition stage from semi-circular (crescent) crack into a semi-elliptical one which front
smoothly deviates in the normal cross section of a specimen.
For life prediction under fretting-fatigue conditions we used such input data as crack resistance diagrams of
AMg6N alloy by Mode I and Mode II, as well as results of special tribological tests which allow one to estimate
friction coefficient values for particular fretting conditions.
Tribological Tests. The tribometric test scheme earlier proposed in [4–6] for cylindrical specimens with
clamped pads allows one to simulate fretting conditions in a specimen without its cyclic loading. Pads are clamped to
each part of a split specimen (Fig. 6) by a preset value of the normal pressure P, and a cyclic displacement of the
active part of a specimen relatively to the pads is provided for various amplitude slip values of the clamped pad
edges As controlled with the help of the electron-optical system and a stroboscope. Here the friction coefficient
m = Q P is assessed from strain gauge measurements of the cyclic tangential force Q transmitted through pads from
one part of a split specimen to the other one. The relation between slip amplitude As and pad length (distance
between pad edges) L* is described by the following formula:

As = L* s a E ,

where s a is the bulk cyclic stress amplitude and E is the elastic modulus of the specimen material (E = 71 GPa for
AMg6N alloy).
The tribological test results were obtained at two levels of normal pressure P = 50 and 100 MPa for
specimen–pad friction pairs AMg6N–AMg6N and AMg6N–30KhGSA (Fig. 7). Noteworthy is that friction coefficient
values in the latter case are higher than in the former one. Moreover, friction coefficient values for both friction pairs
are higher at P = 50 MPa than at P =100 MPa. Within the range of bulk cyclic stress amplitudes realized during
fretting fatigue tests (40 MPa< s a < 130 MPa), slip amplitude As (according to the above formula) varies within the
range of 7–12 mm for pad length of 5 mm and 10–20 mm for pad length of 12 mm.
Life Prediction under Fretting Fatigue Conditions. Three-dimensional finite element solutions for cylindrical
specimens with semi-elliptical cracks have been obtained (e.g., in [7, 8]), which have a close correlation with the
analytical calculations [9] earlier applied for steel cylindrical specimens [4]. Parameters of the respective formula for
stress intensity factor (SIF) calibration Y = A1 x + A2 x 2 + A3 x 3 + A4 x 4 + A5 x 5 (where x = a d is the relative crack
depth [9] for cylindrical specimen with a semi-elliptical crack) are given in Table 2.
Using the results of fractographic studies of cylindrical specimens from AMg6N alloy specimens failed
during fretting fatigue tests and investigations of crack shape kinetics of semi-elliptical cracks propagating in various
materials [4, 6, 10], we have performed the analysis of variation of the experimental ratios a c between depth a and
length c of semi-elliptical cracks with their relative depth a d. According to results [4, 5] given in Fig. 8, a c ratio
increases with propagation of a semi-elliptical crack up to the level of 0.75–0.8, which corresponds to the criterion of

45
 TABLE 2. Parameters of SIF Calibration Formula
ac A1 A2 A3 A4 A5
0.2 0.861 1.353 - 21.86 342.60 - 213.12
0.4 0.703 - 0.250 10.20 - 7.20 193.03
0.6 0.658 - 0.324 5.64 - 11.79 97.63
0.8 0.613 - 0.554 9.02 - 40.47 68.30
1.0 0.505 - 0.503 3.01 - 19.33 38.33
1.2 0.500 - 0.251 4.70 - 25.83 43.52

Fig. 7 Fig. 8
Fig. 7. Dependence of friction coefficient from slip amplitude in friction pairs of AMg6N–AMg6N
with 12 mm pad length [(1) P =100 MPa, (3) P = 50 MPa]; AMg6N–30KhGSA with 12 mm pad length
[(2) P =100 MPa, (4) P = 50 MPa]; and VT9–VT10 of 7.5 mm pad length [(5) P = 80 MPa].
Fig. 8. Shape variation of semi-elliptical cracks in the materials under study: (1), (3) the limiting curves;
(2) the averaged curve; (p) AMg6N aluminum alloy; (£) VT9 titanium alloy; (Í) 22G2TYu steel [4];
(r) 08GSYuT steel [4]; (¯) 15kp steel; (¿) HT60 steel [9]; (¢) S10C steel [7].

the energetically most advantageous SIF distribution along the crack front [9]. The statistical processing of the above
experimental results yields the average curve of a crack shape variation (curve 2 in Fig. 8), for which we have
assessed the parameters of analytical SIF calibration from Table 2 to be used in further SIF calculations.
The respective SIF calculation for fretting fatigue conditions is performed using the technique based on the
Otsuka two-parameter model [3], the applicability of which to the given material has been shown earlier [1]. The
sequence of implementation of the proposed technique is in detail circumscribed in [4–6]. Using the input values of
s a and P and pad length L* , the dynamic friction coefficient is determined with further calculation of SIF values
( K I , K II ) and ( K s , K t ) for various crack depth values. The lower limit of applicability of the respective formulas of
fracture mechanics is defined by the initial crack length l0 = 20 mm (the material grain size).
For a current crack length l > l0 the current values of K s and K t parameters are compared to their
threshold values K Ith and K IIth , respectively. Thus, the fracture mechanics parameter K s or K t controlling
propagation of crack of length l, direction of which is predicted using the respective formulas of the Otsuka criterion

46
 Fig. 9. Calculated (lines) and experimental (points) lives and fatigue limits of cylindrical specimens from
AMg6N alloy with pads of 12 mm length from 30KhGSA steel [(1, ¢) P =100 MPa; (4, £) P = 50 MPa]
and from AMg6N alloy [(2, p) P =100 MPa; (3, r) P = 50 MPa].

Fig. 10. Calculated (lines) and experimental (points) lives and fatigue limits of cylindrical specimens
from AMg6N alloy with pads from AMg6N alloy of 12 (1, p), 8 (2, ˜), and 5 mm (3, ¢) lengths.

[3]. By integration of the respective crack propagation diagram (DK t - dl dn or DK t - dl dn), the crack length
increment Dl corresponding to the number of loading cycles Dn is calculated. This calculation is repeated for a new
position of the crack tip until the crack either stops or reaches its critical length lc . The duration of crack propagation
stage is assessed by summation SDn = N within the variation range of crack length l from l0 to lc . The fatigue
limit is predicted using the crack nonpropagation criterion.
The calculated and experimental curves obtained for different fretting fatigue conditions are shown in Figs. 9
and 10 and tabulated in Tables 3–8. Noteworthy is a good correlation between calculated and experimental values of
the fatigue limit and systematic underestimation of the calculated lives, especially for pad lengths of 5 and 8 mm
where the lowest slip amplitudes (7–10 mm) are observed and low values of the friction coefficient (m < 0.1) are
invoked. The different nature of pad materials AMg6N and 30KhGSA was only partially taken into account by using
a higher friction coefficient in the latter case (according to tribological curves in Fig. 7). Moreover, calculation

47
 TABLE 3. Experimental and Calculated Lives and Fatigue Limits of Cylindrical Specimens from AMg6N
Alloy with Pads of 12 mm Length from AMg6N alloy (P =100 MPa)
No. of specimen sa , MPa N exp , cycles N calc , cycles d, %
1 120 66,000 23,500 - 64
2 110 61,000 38,800 - 36
3 100 138,000 63,700 - 53
4 95 186,000 86,600 - 53
5 90 288,000 114,200 - 60
6 80 234,000 232,400 -1
7 70 676,000 604,300 - 11
8 65 1328,000 1323,000 -1
9 60 Base 6781,000 –
Fatigue limit, MPa 60.0 57.5 -4

Note. Here and in Tables 4–9: d is a relative discrepancy (%), base means no failure after 10 7 cycles.

TABLE 4. Experimental and Calculated Lives and Fatigue Limits of Cylindrical Specimens from AMg6N
Alloy with Pads of 12 mm Length from AMg6N alloy (P = 50 MPa)
No. of specimen sa , MPa N exp , cycles N calc , cycles d, %
1 125 43,000 7,000 - 60
2 115 46,000 2,470 - 46
3 98 83,000 59,100 - 29
4 87 152,000 107,800 - 29
5 80 191,000 184,200 -4
6 80 630,000 184,200 - 71
7 75 340,000 275,700 - 19
8 70 552,000 440,300 - 20
9 60 1870,000 1890,000 1
10 55 Base Base 0
11 50 Base Base 0
Fatigue limit, MPa 55 55 0

results are affected by a number of factors (tribological measurements, SIF calculation and calibration accuracy,
crack inclination angle prediction accuracy, etc.), which require refinement in each particular case.
In this connection, we have analyzed in detail the calculation results for specimen No. 8 in Table 3 from
AMg6N alloy with pads of 12 mm length from the same material (P =100 MPa, s a = 65 MPa), for which the best fit
of calculated and experimental lives (respectively, 1323,000 and 1328,000 cycles) has been obtained. According to
the calculated diagram of multistage fracture of the material (Fig. 11), the first stage of fatigue crack propagation
(FCP) controlled by the parameter K t occupies approximately 30% of the total predicted life and the second FCP
stage controlled by the parameter K s corresponds to 70% of that, while FCP in a plane normal to the specimen
surface occupies 35% of the total FCP life. Thus, crack growth from the initial size of 20 to 50 mm occurs by the
shear mechanism controlled by K t during the first 30,000 loading cycles which corresponds to 3% of the total life.
Therefore, variation of the initial crack size within the above range has no significant effect on the calculated life.
According to the calculated results, transition from the FCP stage controlled by the shear mechanism and parameter
K t to the cleavage mechanism stage controlled by the parameter K s occurs at the depth of the semi-elliptical crack
equal to l1 = 0.123 mm; crack front transition into the plane normal to the specimen surface is predicted at the crack
depth l2 = 0. 26 mm, whereas the critical fracture toughness is attained at the crack depth l3 = 2. 85 mm. The
calculated angles of crack inclination from the plane normal to the specimen surface are 42 and 23° for the crack
depth values of 0.05 and 0.15 mm, respectively.

48
 TABLE 5. Experimental and Calculated Lives and Fatigue Limits of Cylindrical Specimens from AMg6N
Alloy with Pads of 12 mm Length from 30KhGSA Steel (P = 50 MPa)
No. of specimen sa , MPa N exp , cycles N calc , cycles d, %
1 120 54,000 21,000 - 61
2 100 80,000 54,000 - 32
3 80 190,000 184,000 -3
4 70 275,000 429,000 56
5 70 467,000 429,000 -8
6 55 3310,000 5405,000 63
7 50 Base Base 0
8 50 Base Base 0
9 45 Base Base 0
Fatigue limit, MPa 50 50 0

TABLE 6. Experimental and Calculated Lives and Fatigue Limits of Cylindrical Specimens from AMg6N
Alloy with Pads of 12 mm Length from 30KhGSA Steel (P =100 MPa)
No. of specimen sa , MPa N exp , cycles N calc , cycles d, %
1 120 67,000 28,000 - 58
2 115 70,000 33,000 - 53
3 105 83,000 55,000 - 34
4 90 120,000 126,000 5
5 80 389,000 263,000 32
6 75 324,000 406,000 26
7 70 630,000 713,000 13
8 65 1740,000 1861,000 7
9 60 Base Base 0
10 55 Base Base 0
Fatigue limit, MPa 60.0 62.5 4

DK t , DK s , MPa m N ×105 , cycles

Fig. 11. The calculated FCP diagram of a cylindrical specimen from AMg6N alloy with pads of 12 mm
length from AMg6N alloy at values s a = 65 MPa and P =100 MPa (experimental life N exp =1328, 000
cycles): (1) dependence of the parameter K t from crack length a; (2) dependence of the parameter K s
from crack length a; (3) crack length a increment with the number of loading cycles N .

The fractographic analysis of the failed specimen has revealed the multistage FCP pattern. The crack
initiation occurs in one of the edges of specimen–pad contact, whereas single-origin nucleation is prevailing. Electron
beam micrographs (Fig. 12) obtained by contract formation in secondary electrons at accelerating voltage of 30 kV

49
 TABLE 7. Experimental and Calculated Lives and Fatigue Limits of Cylindrical Specimens from AMg6N
Alloy with Pads of 8 mm Length from AMg6N Alloy (P =100 MPa)
No. of specimen sa , MPa N exp , cycles N calc , cycles d, %
1 100.0 158,000 86,000 - 46
2 90.0 316,000 220,000 - 30
3 85.0 562,000 313,000 - 44
4 80.0 514,000 418,000 - 19
5 75.0 936,000 670,000 - 28
6 75.0 1426,000 670,000 - 53
7 70.0 4266,000 1327,000 - 69
8 70.0 5890,000 1327,000 - 77
9 67.5 Base 5700,000 –
10 65.0 Base Base 0
Fatigue limit, MPa 67,5 65,0 4

TABLE 8. Experimental and Calculated Lives and Fatigue Limits of Cylindrical Specimens from AMg6N
Alloy with Pads of 5 mm Length from AMg6N Alloy (P =100 MPa)
No. of specimen sa , MPa N exp , cycles N calc , cycles d, %
1 108.0 114,000 107,000 -6
2 97.0 237,000 166,000 - 30
3 90.0 898,000 272,000 - 70
4 80.0 2198,000 568,000 - 74
5 70.0 5728,000 Base –
6 67.5 Base Base 0
7 65.0 Base Base 0
Fatigue limit, MPa 67.5 70.0 4

a b c
Fig. 12. Fractography of a specimen from AMg6N alloy failed under fretting fatigue conditions.

make it possible to distinguish the following zones: fretting wear zone of the material surface layers (1 in Fig. 12à),
shear fracture zone (2 in Fig. 12a, b), cleavage fracture zone (3 in Fig. 12c), and final rupture zone (4 in Fig. 12c).
Here boundaries of the above zones correspond to the following distances from the specimen surface in the
FCP direction: l0 = 0.035 mm, l1 = 0.12–0.14 mm, and l2 = 3.06 mm, while the crack front inclination angle from
the plane normal to the specimen surface makes 48–50° for the distance of 0.05 mm from the specimen surface and
19–24° for the distance of 0.15 mm. The experimental results obtained are closely correlated to the calculated
multistage FCP diagram. Noteworthy is that shear fracture pattern in micrographs is less pronounced within the range
of crack depth variation l1 = 0.12–0.14 mm corresponding to the FCP mechanism changeover (the respective
calculated value l1 = 0.123 mm), as compared to the initial FCP zone, whereas at l > 0.14 mm cleavage mechanism
pattern is observed.

50
 a b
Fig. 13. Geometry of cylindrical specimens from VT9 alloy (à) and pads from V10 alloy (b).

a b c
Fig. 14. Propagation pattern of semi-elliptical crack in cylindrical specimens from VT9 alloy
under fretting fatigue conditions: (à) contact spot; (b, c) current positions of the crack front.

The fractographic analysis of several specimens of the same type allows one to assume that development of
fretting wear zone continues throughout the total number of loading cycles, which is accompanied by wear debris
getting between the crack faces and having a wedging action, which contributes to the fretting fatigue life reduction.
Account of Residual Stresses in Life Prediction under Fretting Fatigue Conditions. In order to account for
the effect of residual stresses on material life under fretting fatigue conditions within framework of the linear fracture
mechanics, one should incorporate stress intensity factors induced by the residual stresses (as a rule, negative) into
the calculation procedure developed for materials without residual stresses. In study [10], such approach has been
implemented for plane specimens from Ti–6Al–4V alloy strengthened by vibration pre-treatment: superposition of
the residual stresses on the field of contact and bulk stresses has been performed for the simplified scheme with
approximate distribution of the residual stress induced by the vibration treatment of plane specimens in the
subsurface layers.
Similarly to the approach [10], we have made an attempt to account for the elastic residual stresses within
the framework of the earlier described calculation technique for cylindrical specimens.
The refined calculation technique was used for life prediction of vibration-strengthened cylindrical specimens
from VT9 titanium alloy (Fig. 13à) with pads of 7.5 mm length from VT10 titanium alloy (Fig. 13b) clamped by the
nominal normal pressure P = 80 MPa (Table 1).
Vibration strengthening pre-treatment of cylindrical specimens from VT9 alloy was performed by shot
peening technique providing minimization of residual stresses in the surface layer using an UVD-4A device and the
following pre-treatment conditions: diameter of steel balls 4.5 mm, vibration frequency 5 Hz, vibration amplitude
50 mm, pre-treatment time 25 min).
Tribologic tests of pre-treated specimens with pads have been performed similar to those earlier described for
AMg6N alloy. The tribological dependence for VT9 alloy specimen–VT10 alloy pads is shown in Fig. 7 as curve 5.
Cyclic tensile-compressive tests under fretting conditions were carried out similar to those of AMg6N alloy
and their results are tabulated in Table 9.
For consequent calculations we have performed the fractographic analysis of failed specimens, as a result of
which the propagation pattern of semi-elliptical cracks from the contact zone in cylindrical specimens from VT9
alloy under fretting fatigue conditions has been identified (Fig. 14).
Parabolic distribution of the normal and tangential surface unit forces along the contact zone length have
been postulated. Moreover, we assumed that after few thousand loading cycles a semi-elliptical crack of length equal
to the contact zone width is initiated at the fretting zone boundary, and its further propagation is accompanied by
crack front shape change depicted by the average curve 1 in Fig. 8. FCP calculation starts from the moment when the

51
 TABLE 9. Experimental and Calculated Lives and Fatigue Limits of Cylindrical Specimens from VT9 Alloy
with Pads of 7.5 mm Length from VT10 Alloy (P = 80 MPa)
No. of specimen sa , MPa N exp , cycles N calc , cycles d, %
1 190 148,000 239,300 61
2 180 298,000 313,800 5
3 175 312,000 370,900 19
4 175 468,000 370,900 - 21
5 170 525,000 455,400 - 13
6 165 590,000 600,700 2
7 165 773,000 600,700 - 22
8 160 764,000 946,900 24
9 155 864,000 4162,000 380
10 155 897,000 4162,000 364
11 150 Base Base 0
12 145 Base Base 0
Fatigue limit, MPa 150.00 152.25 2

Fig. 15. Distribution of residual stresses in subsurface layers of cylindrical VT9 alloy specimens
after vibration strengthening pre-treatment.

crack depth attains the value equal to 2–3 microstructural sizes of alloy under study, i.e., about 20 mm, whereas the
specimen surface layer peculiarities stipulated by preliminary vibration strengthening treatment are taken into
account as follows. The residual stress distribution in the specimen subsurface layers (Fig. 15) is obtained using a
M-217 electronic-measuring system with data recording by KSP-4 potentiometer. According to the superposition
principle, growth of the semi-elliptical fatigue cracks in a material with residual stresses distributed by the known
law can be described by crack resistance diagram of the material in the initial state by usage of the effective stress
intensity factors representing the sum of components from the residual and cyclic stresses.
For calculation of the residual stress intensity factor K Ires in the tip of a semi-elliptical crack of the given
depth a with the given a c ratio growing in a field of residual stresses with a preset distribution law we have used
the method of weight functions [11] and software implementation [6]. The input data used in the computation
procedure are various depth and ratio values of a semi-elliptical crack, while distribution of the residual stresses
(Fig. 15) is set in a polynomial form. The absolute values of compressive residual stresses increase from 100–120
MPa in the surface layer up to 380–390 MPa at the depth of 60–70 mm and smoothly tend to zero at the depth of
150–160 mm.
As a result, the calculated residual SIF values K Ires have been obtained for various points of the crack front
of semi-elliptical cracks of different shapes and depths in a cylindrical specimen with the preset residual stress
distribution law (Fig. 16).

52
 K Ires , MPa m

Fig. 16. Calculated residual SIF values in various points of the crack front: (1) a = 50 mm, (2) a =100 mm,
(3) a = 200 mm; solid lines, a c = 0. 2; dashed lines, a c = 0. 5.

K Ires , MPa m

a, mm
Fig. 17 Fig. 18
Fig. 17. Residual SIF variation in the crack tip with increase in its depth a.
Fig. 18. The calculated fatigue curve of vibration-strengthened cylindrical specimens from VT9 alloy
with pads from VT10 alloy (line) and experimental points.

As seen from Fig. 16, increase in crack depth a and/or in a c ratio results in the increase of the absolute
value of negative parameter K Ires , which is most pronounced in the crack front point, which is located at the
maximal distance from the specimen surface. Using the obtained calculated results and the averaged curve of
semi-elliptical crack shape variation, we have determined the dependence K Ires - a (Fig. 17), which can be
represented in the following analytical form:

K Ires = 5. 252 - 144. 9a - 0. 78a 2 + 0. 0138a 3 - 6.19 × 10 -5 a 4 + 9. 2 × 10 -8 a 5

for a £ 0. 4 mm.
The latter dependence, together with tribologic dependences experimentally determined for vibration-
strengthened specimens (curve 5 in Fig. 7) and FCP curves for the standard plane specimens described earlier [1], has
been incorporated into the computation program for life prediction vibration-strengthened cylindrical specimens from
VT9 alloy with VT10 alloy pads of 7.5 mm length clamped by the nominal normal pressure P = 80 MPa. The
calculation results tabulated in Table 9 and depicted in Fig. 18 together with the experimental results, show the
following:

53
 a b c
Fig. 19. Fractography of vibration-strengthened specimen from VT9 alloy failed under fretting fatigue
conditions: (1) shear fracture zone; (2) cleavage fracture zone. Magnification ´130 (a), ´150 (b), and ´1300 (c).
K t , K s , MPa m

Fig. 20. Comparative analysis of calculated FCP curves (1) and experimental FCP zones (2) for VT9 alloy.

a) the calculated and experimental values of fatigue limit under fretting conditions are closely correlated;
b) at the bulk stress amplitude slightly above the fatigue limit (155 MPa) calculated results are non-
conservative, whereas at higher bulk stress levels the maximum discrepancy between the calculated and experimental
lives does not exceed 24%. Thus, a satisfactory correlation between calculated and experimental results is obtained.
In order to compare the calculated and experimental data by fracture kinetics of VT9 alloy under fretting
fatigue conditions, a comparative analysis of dimensions and orientations of fracture zones corresponding to different
FCP stages in VT9 specimens with VT10 pads tested at the bulk stress level of 160 MPa has been performed. The
fractographies obtained using a Stereoscan S4-10 electronic microscope allow one to detect such fracture regularities
(Fig. 19), as a single-origin crack initiation and presence of fracture zones with shear and cleavage mechanisms.
The calculated and experimental values of crack depth corresponding to the limits of various FCP zones are given in
Fig. 20. It can be seen that the calculated depth corresponding to the FCP transition point between shear and cleavage
mechanisms (0.21 mm) slightly exceeds the respective experimental range (0.16–0.18 mm), while the calculated
dimensions of various fracture zones are in a satisfactory correlation with the experimental ones (the discrepancy
does not exceed 16%).
This corroborates the applicability of the proposed approach to the case of fretting fatigue of cylindrical
specimens from VT9 titanium alloy subjected to preliminary vibration strengthening treatment. Presumably,
conservative estimation of finite fatigue lives under fretting can be refined by incorporation of the experimental data
on residual stress relaxation in the material subsurface layers with operation time stipulated by thermomechanical
interaction between specimen/pad contacting surfaces.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The proposed technique of life prediction under fretting fatigue conditions based on the Otsuka
two-parameter approach has been applied to cylindrical specimens with semi-elliptical crack and demonstrated a
close correlation with the experimental data on AMg6N and VT9 alloys.

54
 2. The calculated fatigue limits under fretting conditions are close to the experimental ones, while the
predicted lives are systematically lower than the experimental ones. This can be attributed to the fact that crack
initiation stage is not taken into account in the total life calculations. Therefore, it is expedient to combine the
proposed approach with assessment techniques of crack initiation stage from the low-cyclic fatigue standpoint.
3. By the example of calculations for several specimens it is shown that the FCP stage by shear mechanism
can occupy up to 30% of the total FCP life, while that by cleavage mechanism – up to 70%.
4. Application of the method of weight functions allows one to take into account the effect of the residual
stresses induced by vibration strengthening pre-treatment on the FCP kinetics and life under fretting fatigue
conditions for VT9 alloy.

REFERENCES

1. A. O. Khotsyanovskii, “Life prediction of titanium and aluminum alloys under fretting fatigue conditions
using various crack propagation criteria. Part 1. Experimental and calculation techniques,” Strength Mater.,
42, No. 6, 683–704 (2010).
2. A. E. Giannakopoulos, T. C. Lindley, and S. Suresh, “Aspects of the equivalence between contact mechanics
and fracture mechanics: theoretical connections and a life-prediction methodology for fretting fatigue,” Acta
Mater., 46, No. 9, 2955–2968 (1998).
3. A. Otsuka, H. Sugawara, and M. Shomura, “A test method for Mode II fatigue crack growth characteristics
of hard metals,” Fatigue Fract. Eng. Mater. Struct., 27, No. 3, 203–212 (2004).
4. V. T. Troshchenko, G. V. Tsybanev, and A. O. Khotsyanovskii, “Life of steels in fretting fatigue,” Strength
Mater., 20, No. 6, 703–709 (1988).
5. V. T. Troshchenko, G. V. Tsybanev, and A. O. Khotsyanovskii, “Two-parameter model of fretting fatigue
crack growth,” Fatigue Fract. Eng. Mater. Struct., 17, No. 1, 15–23 (1994).
6. A. O. Khotsyanovskii, Life Prediction of Structural Steels and Alloys under Fretting Fatigue for Fatigue
Crack Propagation Stage [in Russian], Author’s Abstract of the Candidate Degree Thesis (Tech. Sci.), Kiev
(1990).
7. A. Carpinteri, “Shape change of surface cracks in round bars under cyclic axial loading,” Int. J. Fatigue, 15,
21–26 (1993).
8. A. Carpinteri and C. Majorana, “Fatigue growth of edge flaws in cylindrical bars,” Strength Mater., 27,
No. 1-2, 26–38 (1995).
9. A. Athanassiadis, J. M. Boissenot, and P. Brevet, “Facteurs d’intensite de contrainte et force d’extension de
fissure dans le cas d’une fissure transversale dans un fils cylindrique,” Bull. Liasion Lab. Ch., 105, No. 1,
73–78 (1980).
10. L. Chambon and B. Journet, “Modelling of fretting fatigue in a fracture-mechanics framework,” Tribology
Int., 39, 1120–1226 (2006).
11. V. A. Vainshtok and I. V. Varfolomeev, “Calculation of weight functions and stress intensity factors for
semi-elliptical cracks in a layer,” Mech. Solid Body, No. 2, 132–139 (1988).

55