Name: ultrasonic fatigue testing in the tension-compression mode
Uploaded: 2018-03-07T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Ultrasonic Fatigue Testing in the Tension-Compression Mode at JoVE.com

The work was supported by projects: "Research Centre of University of &#381;ilina - 2nd phase", ITMS 313011D011, Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Slovak Republic and Slovak Academy of Sciences, grants No.: 1/0045/17, 1/0951/17 and 1/0123/15 and Slovak Research and Development Agency, grant No. APVV-16-0276.

Note: Each specimen&#39;s geometry has to be selected and calculated according to the mechanical and physical properties of the tested material, so that it has an identical resonance frequency as the ultrasonic testing system.

1. Determination of the Fatigue Test Specimen Dimensions
Note: The standard &#34;hourglass&#34; tension-compression specimen geometry, with defined main dimensions, is shown in Figure 1. Dim...

<ol>
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B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> The fatigue of metals. , 321 (1927).</li><li>Nicholas, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> High Cycle Fatigue: A Mechanics of Materials Perspective. , (2006).</li><li>Schijve, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Fatigue of Structures and Materials. , (2008).</li><li>Murakami, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Metal Fatigue: Effects of Small Defects and Nonmetallic Inclusions. , (2002).</li><li>Trsko, L., Bokuvka, O., Novy, F., Guagliano, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Effect+of+severe+shot+peening+on+ultra-high-cycle+fatigue+of+a+low-alloy+steel.">Effect of severe shot peening on ultra-high-cycle fatigue of a low-alloy steel.</a> Mater. Design. 57, 103-113 (2014).</li><li>Stanzl, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fracture+mechanisms+and+fracture+mechanics+at+ultrasonic+frequencies.">Fracture mechanisms and fracture mechanics at ultrasonic frequencies.</a> Fatigue. Fract. Eng. M. 22 (7), 567-579 (1999).</li><li>Bathias, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=There+is+no+infinite+fatigue+life+in+metallic+materials.">There is no infinite fatigue life in metallic materials.</a> Fatigue. Fract. Eng. M. 22 (7), 559-565 (1999).</li><li>Ritchie, R. O., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-cycle+fatigue+of+Ti-6Al-4V.">High-cycle fatigue of Ti-6Al-4V.</a> Fatigue. Fract. Eng. M. 22 (7), 621-631 (1999).</li><li>Bathias, C., Paris, P. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Gigacycle Fatigue in Mechanical Practice. , (2004).</li><li>Bokuvka, O., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Ultrasonic Fatigue of Materials at Low and High Frequency Loading. , (2015).</li><li>Almaraz, G. M. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ultrasonic+Fatigue+Testing+on+the+Polymeric+Material+PMMA,+Used+in+Odontology+Applications.">Ultrasonic Fatigue Testing on the Polymeric Material PMMA, Used in Odontology Applications.</a> Procedia Structural Integrity. 3, 562-570 (2017).</li><li>Flore, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Investigation+of+the+high+and+very+high+cycle+fatigue+behaviour+of+continuous+fibre+reinforced+plastics+by+conventional+and+ultrasonic+fatigue+testing.">Investigation of the high and very high cycle fatigue behaviour of continuous fibre reinforced plastics by conventional and ultrasonic fatigue testing.</a> Compos. Sci. Technol. 141, 130-136 (2017).</li><li>Tr&#353;ko, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Influence+of+Severe+Shot+Peening+on+the+Surface+State+and+Ultra-High-Cycle+Fatigue+Behavior+of+an+AW+7075+Aluminum+Alloy.">Influence of Severe Shot Peening on the Surface State and Ultra-High-Cycle Fatigue Behavior of an AW 7075 Aluminum Alloy.</a> J. Mater. Eng. Perform. 26 (6), 2784-2797 (2017).</li><li>Mayer, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cyclic+torsion+very+high+cycle+fatigue+of+VDSiCr+spring+steel+at+different+load+ratios.">Cyclic torsion very high cycle fatigue of VDSiCr spring steel at different load ratios.</a> Int. J. Fatigue. 70, 322-327 (2015).</li><li>Bathias, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Piezoelectric+fatigue+testing+machines+and+devices.">Piezoelectric fatigue testing machines and devices.</a> Int. J. Fatigue. 28 (11), 1438-1445 (2006).</li><li>Mayer, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ultrasonic+torsion+and+tension-compression+fatigue+testing:+Measuring+principles+and+investigations+on+2024-T351+aluminium+alloy.">Ultrasonic torsion and tension-compression fatigue testing: Measuring principles and investigations on 2024-T351 aluminium alloy.</a> Int. J. Fatigue. 28 (11), 1446-1455 (2006).</li><li>Brugger, C., Palin-Luc, T., Osmond, P., Blanc, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+new+ultrasonic+fatigue+testing+device+for+biaxial+bending+in+the+gigacycle+regime.">A new ultrasonic fatigue testing device for biaxial bending in the gigacycle regime.</a> Int. J. Fatigue. 100, Part 2, 619-626 (2017).</li><li>Wagner, D., Cavalieri, F. J., Bathias, C., Ranc, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ultrasonic+fatigue+tests+at+high+temperature+on+anaustenitic+steel.">Ultrasonic fatigue tests at high temperature on anaustenitic steel.</a> J. Propul. Power. 1 (1), 29-35 (2012).</li><li>Kohout, J., Vechet, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+new+function+for+fatigue+curves+characterization+and+its+multiple+merits.">A new function for fatigue curves characterization and its multiple merits.</a> Int. J. Fatigue. 23 (2), 175-183 (2001).</li></ol>

Ultrasonic fatigue testing is one of the few methods which allows testing of the structural materials in the ultra-high cycle region. However, the specimen shape and size are very limited with respect to the resonance frequency. For instance, testing of thin sheets in the mode of axial loading is generally not possible. In addition, testing of large specimens is usually not possible, because the testing machines do not provide such power and it would require the design of a special ultrasonic system. 
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Fatigue damage of structural materials is strongly connected with industrialization and mainly with use of steam engine and steam locomotives for railway transport, where a lot of metal components, mainly iron based, have been used and had to withstand various types of cyclic loading. One of the earliest tests was done by Albert (Germany 1829)1 on welded chains for mine hoists. The loading frequency was 10 bends per minute, and the maximal tests recorded reached 100,000 loading cycles1. Another important work was carried out by William Fairbairn in 1864. Tests were performed on wrought-iron girders with use of a static load, which was lifted by a lever and then dropped causing vibrations. The girder was loaded with gradually increasing loading stress amplitude. After reaching several hundred thousand cycles on various loading stress amplitudes, in the end the girder failed after just about five thousand loading cycles at a loading amplitude of two fifths of the ultimate tensile strength. The first comprehensive and systematic study of the influence of repeated stress on structural materials was done by August W&#246;hler in 1860-18701. For these tests, he was using torsion, bending, and axial loading modes. W&#246;hler designed many unique fatigue testing machines, but their disadvantage was low operation speeds, for example the fastest rotating bending machine operated at 72 rpm (1.2 Hz), thus completion of the experimental program took 12 years1. After performing these tests, it was considered that after reaching a loading amplitude at which the material withstands 107 cycles, the fatigue degradation is negligible and the material can withstand an infinite number of loading cycles. This loading amplitude was named the &#34;fatigue limit&#34; and became the main parameter in industrial design for many years2,3.
Further development of new industrial machines, which required higher efficiency and cost savings, had to provide the possibility of higher loading, higher operation speeds, higher durations, and high reliability with low maintenance requirements. For example, components of the high-speed train Shinkanzen, after 10 years of operation, have to withstand approximately 109 cycles and failure of a main component can have fatal consequences4. Furthermore, components of jet engines often operate at 12,000 rpm, and components of turbo blowers often exceed 17,000 rpm. Those high operation speeds increased requirements for fatigue life testing in the so-called ultra-high cycle region, and to assess if the fatigue strength of a material could be really considered constant for more than 10 million cycles. After the first tests performed by exceeding this endurance, it was obvious that fatigue failures can occur even at applied stress amplitudes lower than the fatigue limit, after a number of cycles much more than 107, and that the damage and failure mechanism could be different from the usual ones5.
Creating a fatigue test program aimed at investigating the ultra-high cycle region required the development of new testing devices to strongly increase the loading frequency. A symposium focused on this topic was held in Paris in June 1998, where experimental results were presented which were obtained by Stanzl-Tschegg6 and Bathias7 at 20 kHz loading frequencies, by Ritchie8 with the use of 1 kHz closed loop servo-hydraulic testing machine, and by Davidson8 with a 1.5 kHz magneto-strictive testing machine4. From that time, many solutions were proposed, but still the most commonly used machine for this kind of test is based on the concept of Manson from 1950 and uses frequencies close to 20 kHz9. These machines exhibit a good balance between strain rate, the determination accuracy of the number of cycles, and the time of the fatigue test (1010 cycles are achieved in approximately 6 days). Other devices were able to provide even higher loading frequencies, like the one used by Girald in 1959 - 92 kHz and Kikukawa in 1965 - 199 kHz; however, these are rarely used because they create extremely high deformation rates and, since the test lasts for only few minutes, a remarkable error in the cycle counting is expected. Another important factor limiting the loading frequency of resonance devices for fatigue testing is the size of the specimen, which is in direct relation with the resonance frequency. The larger the requested loading frequency, the smaller the specimen. This is the reason why frequencies above 40 kHz are rarely used10.
Since the displacement amplitude is usually limited within the interval between 3 and 80 &#181;m, ultrasonic fatigue testing can be successfully applied on most metallic materials, though techniques for the testing of polymeric materials such as PMMA11 and composites12 were also developed. Generally, ultrasonic fatigue testing is possible to perform in modes of axial loading: tensile - compression symmetrical cycle13,14, tension - tension cycle15, three-point bending15, and there are also a few studies with special modifications of the system for torsion testing15,16 and biaxial bending17. It is not possible to use arbitrary specimens, because for this method, the geometry is strictly related to achieving the resonance frequency of 20 kHz. For the axial loading, several types of specimens have been commonly used, usually with an hour-glass shape with a gauge length diameter from 3 to 5 mm. For the three-point bending, thin sheets are commonly used, and for other methods special types of specimens are designed, according to the method type and testing conditions. The method was designed for evaluation of fatigue life in the high and ultra-high cycle region, and this means that at 20 kHz loading, a million cycles is obtained in 50 s; therefore, this is usually considered the bottom limit of loading cycles which can be investigated with reasonable accuracy, with respect to the number of cycle determination. Each specimen has to be harmonized with the ultrasonic horn by changing the specimen&#39;s mass to provide the right resonance frequency of the system: ultrasonic horn with specimen.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="665">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Ultrasonic fatigue testing device</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Lasur</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">-</td>
			<td style="width:259px;">20 kHz, used for fatigue tests</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">Nyogel 783</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Nye Lubricants</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">-</td>
			<td>Used as acoustic gel for connection of the parts of the ultrasonic system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Win 20k software</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Lasur</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">-</td>
			<td>Software for operation of the Lasur fatigue testing machine</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

ultrasonic fatigue testing in the tension-compression mode

Ultrasonic fatigue testing is one of a few methods which allow investigating fatigue properties in the ultra-high cycle region. The method is based on exposing the specimen to longitudinal vibrations on its resonance frequency close to 20 kHz. With use of this method, it is possible to significantly decrease the time required for the test, when compared to conventional testing devices usually working at frequencies under 200 Hz. It is also used to simulate loading of material during operation in high speed conditions, such as those experienced by components of jet engines or car turbo pumps. It is necessary to operate only in the high and ultra-high cycle region, due to the possibility of extremely high deformation rates, which can have a significant influence on the test results. Specimen shape and dimensions have to be carefully selected and calculated to fulfill the resonance condition of the ultrasonic system; thus, it is not possible to test the full components or specimens of arbitrary shape. Before each test, it is necessary to harmonize the specimen with the frequency of the ultrasonic system to compensate for deviations of the real shape from the ideal one. It is not possible to run a test until a total fracture of the specimen, since the test is automatically terminated after initiation and propagation of the crack to a certain length, when the stiffness of the system changes enough to shift the system out of the resonance frequency. This manuscript describes the process of evaluation of materials' fatigue properties at high-frequency ultrasonic fatigue loading with use of mechanical resonance at a frequency close to 20 kHz. The protocol includes a detailed description of all steps required for a correct test, including specimen design, stress calculation, harmonizing with the resonance frequency, performing the test, and final static fracture.

Fatigue test results include loading stress, number of loading cycles, and the test termination character (fracture or run-out) can be seen in Table 1, where results of fatigue life of the 50CrMo4 quenched and tempered steel are provided. The most common interpretation of the fatigue life test results is the so-called S - N plot (S - stress, N - number of cycles), also known as the W&#246;hler&#39;s plot. The dependence of fatigue life on the applied loading stress is plo...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Ultrasonic Fatigue Testing in the Tension-Compression Mode at JoVE.com

Ultrasonic Fatigue Testing in the Tension-Compression Mode

A protocol for ultrasonic fatigue testing in the high and ultra-high cycle region in axial tension-compression loading mode.

Ultrasonic fatigue testing is one of a few methods which allow investigating fatigue properties in the ultra-high cycle region. The method is based on ...

The overall goal of this experiment is to evaluate the fatigue life of material in the ultra high cycle region. This method can help answer key questions about safety and reliability of metallic components which have to withstand our ten million loading cycles during operation. This technique is based on driving the specimen into the longitudinal vibration at each 20 kilohertz resonance frequency, which means that approximately 20, 000 loading cycles are carried out in a second.To be able to drive the specimen into vibration at that particular resonance frequency, it's size and shape must be carefully designed for the resonance condition. The tests will be conducted with an ultrasonic fatigue testing device. Specimens of the experimental material must be machined to have the standard hourglass geometry for tension compression tests.This drawing of the test specimen labels the relevant dimensions. Choose the head diameter, the gauge diameter, and the gauge radius according to material parameters and test conditions, these determine the gauge length. The head length defines the total mass of the specimen and must be calculated to fulfill the resonance condition at 20 kilohertz.Begin by preparing the testing device. Select an appropriate sonotrode for the required displacement range. Screw the connection screw into the sonotrode until it reaches the bottom, then spread a small amount of acoustic gel on the sonotrode's face.Next, screw the sonotrode into the piezoelectric converter. Move to the computer for the ultrasonic system. Use the control software to find the actual resonance frequency of the system.Now work to mount the specimen. Screw the connection screw into the specimen until it reaches the bottom, then screw the specimen to the sonotrode. This specimen is properly mounted for the next resonance frequency measurement.Now use the control software to find the resonance frequency of the system with the specimen. Prepare to modify the specimen if the resonance frequency is lower than that of the system. For the modifications, have a lathe ready.Next, remove the specimen from the sonotrode, then mount the specimen in a lathe to reduce it's mass. Use the lathe to turn down a tenth of a millimeter on each head removing equal mass from each side of the specimen to raise the resonance frequency and maintain it's geometry. When done, return the specimen to the sonotrode.Next, measure the resonance frequency of the system with the specimen again. Continue to remove the specimen from the sonotrode and reduce it's mass until the two resonance frequencies are within ten hertz. Start at the testing device with the specimen removed.Ensure the connection screw reaches the bottom of the specimen, then on the specimen's face spread a small amount of acoustic gel. Take the specimen back to the sonotrode and screw it into place. For this water cooled system, focus the water nozzles at the top head of the specimen so the water flows smoothly along the gauge length.Finally, adjust the cooling system of the piezoelectric converter. At the control computer begin the test. The test automatically ends when a fatigue crack is initiated in the specimen.Stop the cooling systems and dismount the specimen. As in this case, it is often possible to see the crack on the specimen's surface. Initiation of the fatigue crack in the specimen causes a change of the stiffness of the ultrasonic system which shifts the system out of the resonance frequency thus the test is naturally terminated when the crack initiates.If the fatigue crack does not initiate before the maximum number of cycles in the test, the test is note as run out and that it presents the safe loading amplitude. These data are for three different steels, Hardox 450, Strenx 700MC, and S355J2. The loading stress is along the vertical axis.The number of loading cycles of the test is along the horizontal axis. All tests ended in fracture before ten to the tenth cycles except one, the data point marked with an arrow. This test was terminated as a run out.This scanning electron microscopy image provides information on the fatigue crack initiation and propagation. The fatigue crack started on the free surface. Crack propagation ended when the ultrasonic system shifted out of resonance and the test came to an end.The lighter area corresponds to fracture by static loading. The sample is 50 chromium maliptinum four quenched in tempered steel. This is a scanning electron microscope image of a cavity on the surface of a 50 chromium maliptinum four steel specimen after an improper cooling process.Cavities accelerate the fatigue crack initiation process by serving as stress concentration notches. The result of this fatigue test is not acceptable. This scanning electron microscopy image is of the fatigue crack propagation area of an AW7075 aluminum alloy specimen.The arrow indicates the direction of fatigue crack propagation. The crack propagated with transcrystalline fatigue mechanism. The main advantage of this technique is that it is able to simulate years of operation in just a few hours or days.Once mastered, the specimen can be harmonized and run in twenty minutes if it is designed in machine properly. While attempting this procedure it's important to remember to intensively cool the specimen's gauge right. After it's development, this technique paved the way for researchers in the field of fatigue to explore the ultra high cycle region.After watching this video you should have a good understanding of how to harmonize, run, and cool down the ultrasonic fatigue test specimens. Don't forget that working with ultrasound can be extremely hazardous to ears and precautions, such as earplugs, should always be taken while performing this procedure. Our group would like to acknowledge the contributions of Professor Otakar Bokuvka to our research efforts.

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