Fretting Fatigue Tests

Abstract

So far, we have presented several of the elements of calculation necessary to analyse a range of idealised fretting contacts. They merely provide tools for determining the state of stress, strain and displacement, but do not, in themselves, permit production of initiation or crack propagation criteria, without extensive experimental data. The object of fretting fatigue tests must be to permit monitoring of fretting fatigue crack propagation and, more importantly, initiation, under laboratory conditions, so that the influence of different load histories, surface treatments, surface finishes and indeed underlying materials may be found. There are three general categories of tests which might be envisaged, viz.