Healing of fatigue crack in steel with the application of pulsed electric current

This study aims to the fatigue crack healing in a steel specimen by the application of pulsed electric current. The initial crack in the specimen is introduced by means of notch fatigue test. Electron backscatter diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are used to observe and quantify the change in microstructure before and after the electro-pulsing treatment. The study indicates that with suitable electro-pulsing parameters, a complete crack healing could be achieved. The region reasonably far away from the crack shows no impact of electro-pulsing on microstructure. The possible reasons behind fatigue crack healing could be Joule heating, thermal compressive stress, and micro-welding.