The cyclic fatigue and final fracture behavior of aluminum alloy 2524

This paper presents and discusses the results of a study on the influence of test temperature on high-cycle fatigue properties and fracture characteristics of aluminum alloy 2524. Specimens of the alloy, in the T351 temper, were cyclically deformed over a range of stress amplitudes at cryogenic, ambient and elevated temperatures. An increase in test temperature was found to have a detrimental influence on cyclic fatigue life of specimens taken from both the longitudinal and transverse orientations of the wrought plate. At a given test temperature, the macroscopic fracture mode was essentially identical, regardless of the orientation of the test specimen with respect to the wrought rolled plate. The mechanisms governing high-cycle fatigue life, cyclic deformation and fracture characteristics are discussed in light of the mutually interactive influences of magnitude of applied stress, test temperature, intrinsic microstructural effects and matrix deformation characteristics.