A. Inchekel et Je. Talia, EFFECT OF SCRATCHES ON THE FATIGUE BEHAVIOR OF AN AL-LI ALLOY, Fatigue & fracture of engineering materials & structures, 17(5), 1994, pp. 501-507
An experimental investigation of the effects of small surface scratche
s on the fatigue behavior of Al-Li alloys has been carried out. Small
scratches were generated onto the specimen surface which were then sub
jected to fatigue testing. These scratches were characterized by three
different parameters, scratch angle, scratch tip radius of curvature,
and scratch depth. These parameters have exhibited an important influ
ence on the fatigue life of the scratched samples. In particular, it w
as found that the fatigue life decreased sharply as the scratch depth
increased. In addition, the scratch surface and fracture surfaces were
examined under a scanning electron microscope. The observations helpe
d in the assessment and identification of the mechanisms responsible f
or failure.