Design and Simulation of a Novel Multi-Axial Fatigue Test Rig

Abstract

This research covers the design and simulation of a novel experimental concept for multi-axial fatigue analysis of cylindrical specimens. The resulting design allows a combination of bending and torsional stress to test specimens with critical diameters ranging from 5 to 15 mm at test frequencies up to 50 Hz. Furthermore, the amplitude and frequency of both loadcases can be controlled independently. The test rig will be used to study and validate fatigue criteria for synchronous and asynchronous loading conditions and to analyze the effect of size on the fatigue life of metal and plastic components. The test setup consists of a closed mechanical loop. The primary shaft contains the cylindrical test specimen and is modified to impose rotating bending loads. The secondary shaft is adjusted to introduce fluctuating torque in the transmission loop. Both shafts are connected by means of two double link mechanisms to minimize the clearance and the inertia of the system. The time-varying multi-axial stress state in the cylindrical specimen is analyzed as a function of the amplitudes and frequencies of both bending and torsional loadcases. This is verified by a numerical fatigue analysis in MSC-Patran and MSC-Fatigue. Finally, the dynamical behavior of the test system is studied using a 5 DOF torsional mass-spring representation and the Lagrangian method. A more complex model with 20 DOF is implemented in SimDriveLine and solved via Matlab to analyze the kinematical and dynamical properties more accurately. Both studies take the mechanical properties of steel and plastic test specimens of different sizes into account.