AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FRETTING WEAR OF 2 ALUMINUM-ALLOYS

Fretting fatigue is one of the most detrimental loadings for crack nuc leation. Aeronautical aluminium alloys have been analysed during the f irst cycles of fretting so to determine the evolution of the maximum t angential force and the coefficient of friction. Several stages have b een identified as velocity accommodation takes place in the superficia l oxide layers, in the two first bodies or in the third body (debris b ed). The effects of the test frequency or of the surface roughness wer e shown to depend on these stages. The effect of the brittleness of th e first body has been analysed by means of the comparison between AI-L I and Al-Si alloys. The latter brittle alloy better resisted crack nuc leation despite its lower fatigue strength. This could be related to t he early detachment of debris in the fretting contact. Copyright (C) 1 996 Elsevier Science Ltd