Fretting fatigue in engineering alloys

The experimental procedures which have been used to carry out fretting fatigue tests are reviewed and the preferred specimen and contact pad geometries and method of testing are identified. The S–N curves generated with and without fretting and subsequent analysis have been used to satisfy a number of objectives: (1) to establish the important variables which can significantly affect fretting fatigue behaviour; (2) to increase our fundamental understanding of the fretting fatigue process; and (3) to give a ranking of a diverse range of materials in terms of their resistance to fretting fatigue. The analytical methods which have been used to predict fretting fatigue crack initiation are briefly discussed. With some specimen/fretting pad material combinations, small fretting fatigue cracks are introduced at a very early stage in life and fracture mechanics methods are developed in order to model their growth. Analytical procedures for fretting fatigue based on either S–N endurance or fracture mechanics methodologies are discussed.