On the use of ultrasonic fatigue testing technique – Variable amplitude loadings and crack growth monitoring

• Own developed software for variable amplitude loading test using ultrasonic fatigue technique.
• In situ reconstruction of a damage equivalent load spectrum based on a load time history.
• Temperature controlled pulse- and pause-length adaption.
• Potential drop technique applied at the ultrasonic fatigue testing system.

In the very high cycle fatigue regime high-frequency testing techniques are required. Using the ultrasonic fatigue technique, testing time could be reduced significantly in comparison to conventional servo-hydraulic machines. An ultrasonic fatigue testing system developed by the BOKU Vienna with load frequencies of about 20 kHz is used for variable amplitude loading investigations in the VHCF regime. Therefore, the amplitude level during fatigue tests is controlled by a PC using an own developed software. Additionally, an in situ reconstruction of a damage equivalent load spectrum based on a load time history is introduced schematically. To optimize the experimental procedure a temperature-controlled pulse-pause adaption has been developed and implemented into the software. For quantifying the influence of variable amplitude loadings on the fatigue life, e.g. load interaction effects, the crack growth is measured by using the potential drop technique that is adapted to the ultrasonic fatigue testing system. Finally, the results of two-step-block loading tests are presented.