Determination of Fatigue Damage Initiation in Short Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic through Acoustic Emission Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the damage initiation in short glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 6.6 under fatigue loading using acoustic emission analysis. An optimized specimen geometry was developed to meet the specific requirements of this testing method, at the same time allowing further micromechanical studies. Specimens were preloaded with tensile–tensile fatigue loading, varying the maximum stress and the number of load cycles. Subsequently, the acoustic emission signals in residual strength tests were compared to those of undamaged specimens. The idea behind this approach is that only the damage that has not already occurred under fatigue load can be recorded in the residual strength tests. Using the analysis of acoustic energy, a stress threshold for damage initiation was identified. Furthermore, with tension–tension fatigue tests, the SN curve of the material was determined to estimate the lifetime for the identified stress threshold. The presented approach allows us to estimate a so-called endurance limit of short glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 6.6.