Titanium alloy fatigue strength and eigenfrequency stability

Abstract

We conducted a study on fatigue in flat samples of the VT3-1 titanium alloy using “soft” cyclic beam bending tests. For this purpose, we developed an innovative electromagnetic test bench. The test bench's electromechanical system induces mechanical vibrations at a frequency that matches the eigenfrequency of the sample, ensuring that the cyclic load frequency remains constant. The electromagnetic force bends the sample while the elastic force unbends it, producing a quasi-sinusoidal cyclic load. Through our investigation, we determined the impact of this cyclic loading on both cyclic strength and durability. Our findings indicate that the VT3-1 titanium alloy possesses high resistance to fatigue and an endurance limit. Furthermore, we observed a low variability of the experimental fatigue resistance in relation to the approximating fatigue curve, suggesting the alloy has high structural stability. This finding indicates that the VT3-1 titanium alloy possesses high structural stability. To assess eigenfrequency stability, we subjected the alloy samples to cyclic tests, interrupting them at a reference number of 50 million cycles to evaluate changes in eigenfrequencies and stability under loads close to the fatigue limit. The results showed that the titanium alloy has a high level of eigenfrequency stability. Interruptions in cyclic tests resulted in jump-like increases in eigenfrequencies, which was not observed in continuous tests. Nevertheless, the total eigenfrequency deviations from the initial value at the end of the tests were similar in both cases