Fretting fatigue of a shrink-fit pin subjected to rotating bending: Experiments and simulations

Fretting fatigue initiation was studied for a shrink-fit pin at rotating bending. Eight assemblies with four different grips were manufactured from soft normalized steel and tested at loads well below bending endurance. All pins displayed rust-red fretting oxides deep into the contact and black oxidised fretting scars with fretting fatigue cracks at the rim. The slip evolution was simulated in a three-dimensional FE model including assembly, bending and sufficiently many rotations to reach a steady-state. The extension of cyclic slip agreed with the black oxidised scar. Deeper into the contact a monotonic slip developed to the positions with rust-red oxides. Asymmetric slip and traction on the interface sides together with a slight twist of the pin in the hub and the slip development process, illustrated that a three-dimensional analysis was required for the interface. Both the stress amplitude and the Findley multi-axial criterion predicted fretting fatigue of the pin although the rotating bend stress was well below the endurance limit.