Development of disc bending fatigue test technique for equi-biaxial loading

The disc bending fatigue test technique was developed to investigate the fatigue life under an equi-biaxial loading condition. In this test, a uniform thickness disc specimen was subjected to a bending load by applying air pressure on the specimen surface. Eleven specimens made of Type 316 stainless steel were tested in a room temperature ambient environment. The crack initiation and growth behaviors during the test were observed through a transparent window. The fatigue life was defined when the peak pressure measured near the specimen surface was reduced to 95% of the supplied air pressure. The fatigue life obtained by the disc bending fatigue test was shorter than that obtained by the uniaxial and plate bending fatigue tests for the same principal strain range. It was confirmed that the equi-biaxial loading condition reduced the fatigue life. The finite element analysis together with test results revealed that the crack was initiated at the edge of the specimen when the specimen thickness was less than 1.0 mm. The specimen thickness should be 1.2 mm in order to maximize the strain range at the specimen center. It was concluded that the disc bending fatigue test can derive the fatigue life under an equi-biaxial loading condition, for which strain range is measured at the specimen center.