The role of mechanical properties in low-stress fatigue crack propagation

An experimental investigation was undertaken to study the relationship between mechanical properties and low stress fatigue crack propagation. Attention was focused on the “fatigue” or “reversed plastic zone” at the crack tip, since it was felt that material properties in this region were of prime importance in the crack propagation process. An effort was made to simulate this region through fully reversed strain-cycling tests on tensile specimens. Mechanical properties obtained from a number of materials before and after strain cycling were correlated with crack propagation data from the same materials. Evidence indicated that while monotonic tensile properties are inadequate for correlation purposes, the cyclic strain-hardening coefficient, the cyclic yield strength, and the elastic modulus appear to be important parameters. This was felt to be an indication of the importance of strain cycling in the reversed plastic zone in influencing the rate-governing mechanisms in fatigue crack growth. Formerly Research Assistant, Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.