Growth behavior of short fatigue cracks in a SCS-6/Ti composite

The initiation and growth behavior of short fatigue cracks from the interfacial micro-notches in a SCS-6/Ti composite at various maximum applied stress levels were quantitatively characterized. Micro-notches in the interfacial reaction layer were induced by applying monotonic tensile loading prior to fatigue testing. The propagation and arrest behaviors of each individual crack were carefully monitored. An interface-controlled fatigue cracking model was used to predict several critical parameters which govern the growth behavior of fatigue cracks in the composite.