A Method for quantitative fatigue fracture surface analysis

International audienceWhen fatigue failure occurs, it is important to identify the cause of failure. In terms of fracture mechanics, the ideal method is the one that permits the determination of maximum stress intensity factor, Kmax and the load ratio R from a fracture analysis. Different techniques have been developed and have met with limited success. Such techniques include evaluation of roughness, fractal analysis or measurement of hardness. The authors have developed a method based on the determination of the areal coverage of significant fractographic features on the fracture surface. In this paper, after a brief presentation of the method, results obtained on a structural steel are highlighted and discussed