The fatigue of pseudoelastic single crystals of α-CuAINi

Abstract

The fatigue life of single crystal α-CuAINi has been studied on pseudoelastic cyclic loading. In general the fatigue life was quite poor with most specimens having less than 3000 cycles to failure. The fatigue life decreased significantly with increasing stress level. However, the fatigue failure was due primarily to stress-induced martensite formation, since if the stress level on cycling was not sufficient to form martensite, the specimen did not fail. The fatigue life appeared to be largely independent of percent strain, crystal orientation and environment of testing. Surface preparation, however, was very important with an electropolished specimen having a much longer life than an abraded one. Fatigue cracks grew only in the final few hundred cycles of the life of the specimen. Cracks initially grew in the direction of growth of the stress-induced martensite, approximately at 45 deg to the tensile axis. Final failure was due to brittle fracture caused by stress concentration at the tip of the fatigue crack, the α-CuAlNi being very brittle. Scanning electron micrographs of the fracture showed no fatigue striations but rather river markings spreading out from the point of nucleation of the fatigue crack, characteristic of a brittle material.