The mode I fatigue behaviours of notched freestanding Al-3Mg foils

Abstract

The effect of the thickness on fatigue crack propagation behaviour of rolled and annealed Al-3Mg alloy foils was investigated using notched rectangular specimens with thicknesses of 30µm and 100µm and elastic finite element method analysis. A specialized apparatus in combination with a force sensor and a video graphics array digital camera to record the crack growth was employed to investigate the mode I fatigue behaviour of freestanding Al-3Mg alloy foils. Tests were conducted at ambient temperature, with a loading frequency of 2Hz and a loading ratio R of 0.1. The foil thickness was found to play a distinct role in the fatigue properties of micron-foil metals. Compared to the 100-μm-thick foil, the 30-μm-thick foil exhibited higher average yield stress (σ0.2), but lower elongation, fracture toughness and fatigue life. The crack propagation rate da/dN of both foils as a function of the stress intensity factor ΔK followed the Paris relationship. The Paris constant m, increased slightly, from 4.6 to 5.6, as the foil thickness decreased from 100µm to 30µm. A smaller plastic zone size at the crack tip and a higher value for the self-similarity parameter z were found in the thinner foils, resulting in the higher Paris constant m value. With typical fatigue striations, the 30-μm-thick foils demonstrated failure in a brittle mode during the stable fatigue crack growth stage. However, the 100-μm-thick foils had abnormal striations and dimples in the stable fatigue crack growth stage, they failed in a mixed ductile and brittle mode.