Fretting fatigue strength estimation considering the fretting wear process

In fretting fatigue process the wear of contact surfaces near contact edges occur in accordance with the reciprocal micro-slippages on these contact surfaces. These fretting wear change the contact pressure near the contact edges. To estimate the fretting fatigue strength and life it is indispensable to analyze the accurate contact pressure distributions near the contact edges in each fretting fatigue process. So, in this paper we present the estimation methods of fretting wear process and fretting fatigue life using this wear process. Firstly the fretting-wear process was estimated using contact pressure and relative slippage as follows: W = K x P x S, where W is the wear volume (depth), K the wear coefficient, P the contact pressure, S the slippage. And then the stress intensity factor for cracking due to fretting fatigue was calculated by using contact pressure and frictional stress distributions, which were analyzed by the finite element method. The S-N curves of fretting fatigue were predicted by using the relationship between the calculated stress intensity factor range (Delta K) with the threshold stress intensity factor range (Delta K-th) and the crack propagation rate (da/dN) obtained using CT specimens of the material. And then fretting fatigue tests were conducted on Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel specimens. The S-N curves of our experimental results were in good agreement with the analytical results obtained by considering fretting wear process. Using these estimation methods we can explain many fretting troubles in industrial fields. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.