Near threshold fatigue crack growth in aluminium alloys at low and ultrasonic frequency: Influences of specimen thickness, strain rate, slip behaviour and air humidity

Near threshold fatigue crack growth in ambient air and in vacuum has been studied with ultrasonic fatigue testing equipment (cycling frequency 20 kHz) and with servo-hydraulic equipment (20 Hz). Aluminium alloy 2024-T3 and 7075, heat treated to promote planar slip (7075-UA) and homogeneous slip (7075-OA), respectively, have been tested at load ratio R = -1. In vacuum, no strain rate influences were found and similar crack growth rates were observed at both frequencies. Specimen thickness does not influence the threshold stress intensity amplitude (K-max,K-th) determined at 3.5 x 10(-13) m/cycle in vacuum whereas crack growth resistance increases with decreasing specimen thickness at higher growth rates. K-max,K-th determined at 10(-10) m/cycle in ambient air are similar at 20 Hz and 20 kHz and are 45-55% of those measured in vacuum. In ambient air and at higher stress intensities, fatigue cracks may propagate by a factor of 5-50 faster at the lower frequency. In vacuum, 7075-UA shows better crack growth properties than 7075-OA, more pronounced at higher growth rates. In ambient air, the planar slip materials show a plateau like regime in the (Deltaa/DeltaN vs K-max)-curves, where growth rates are hardly affected by the stress intensity. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.