Influence of Material Ductility on Fatigue Life under Multiaxial Proportional and Non-Proportional Normal and Shear Stresses

Abstract

Current experiences show that a non-proportional loading of ductile materials such as wrought steels, wrought aluminium or magnesium alloys, not welded or welded, causes a significant fatigue life reduction under an out-of-phase shear strain or shear stress superimposed on a normal strain or normal stress compared with proportional in-phase loading. However, when ductility, here characterised by tensile elongation, is reduced by a heat treatment or by another manufacturing technology such as casting or sintering, the afore-mentioned life reduction is compensated or even inversed, i. e. longer fatigue life results compared with proportional loading. Some actual results, determined with additive manufactured titanium, suggest that microstructural features such as manufacturing-dependent internal defects like microporosities should be considered in addition to the ductility level. This complex life behaviour under non-proportional loading cannot always be estimated. Therefore, in experimental proofs of multiaxial loaded parts, especially safety-critical components or structures, with real or service-like signals, emphasis must be placed on retaining non-proportionalities between loads and stresses/strains, respectively.