Fatigue Failure Prediction of U-Notched ZK60 Magnesium Samples Using the Strain Energy Density Approach

Abstract

The light weight of magnesium alloys makes them a promising material in different potential industries, such as aerospace and automobile. In addition, magnesium alloys are attractive materials for biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility with the human body. The applications of these alloys in structural parts require an understanding of their fatigue behavior because they are usually subjected to time-varying loading. Furthermore, notches are inevitable in structural parts. Geometrical discontinuities weaken structures because they act as stress raisers. Localized cyclic plasticity around notches leads to crack formation and final failure. The main objective of this research was to investigate the fatigue failure of ZK60-T5 extrusion in the presence of a notch. U-notched specimens with a diameter of 16 mm, notch radius of 1.5 mm, and notch depth of 1.5 mm were machined along the extrusion direction. Cyclic tests were performed under completely reversed cyclic loading and ambient conditions. The results obtained from the cyclic tests of the U-notched specimens were compared with those of unnotched and V-notched specimens to assess the effects of both the presence and the geometry of a notch on fatigue life. The strain energy density approach was successfully used to analyze the fatigue behavior of the U-notch specimens.