Axial-torsional fatigue - A study of tubular specimen thickness effects

Experiments were carried out at room temperature on AISI type 316 stainless steel to determine the effect of wall thickness on the cyclic deformation behavior and fatigue life of thin-wall tubular axial-torsional fatigue specimens. The experimental variables examined included the depth of the surface work-hardened layer produced in specimen machining, and the effects of strain range and axial-torsional strain phasing. Tubular fatigue specimens had wall thicknesses of 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mm. One as-fabricated specimen from each wall thickness was sectioned for microstructural examination and microhardness measurement. A specimen of each wall thickness was tested in axial-torsional fatigue experiments for each of the three conditions: high strain range in-phase, low strain range in-phase, and low strain range out-of-phase. The machining-induced work-hardened zone, as a percentage of the gage section material, was found to have a minimal effect on both deformation behavior and fatigue life. Out-of-phase fatigue tests displayed shorter fatigue lives and more cyclic hardening than in-phase tests.