Mechanisms of Fretting Fatigue

Abstract

Fretting fatigue is one of the most important phenomena for inducing a dramatic reduction of fatigue strength and consequently, of unexpected failure accidents. There are numerous works on fretting fatigue. The objective of the present review is to clarify fretting fatigue mechanisms based on the vast amount of research work. A fretting fatigue crack is initiated at the highest point of tangential force on a contact surface in the very early stage of fatigue life. The tangential force is the dominant factor in enhancing crack initiation and propagation and hence, in reducing fatigue strength. Further studies on short crack and mixed-mode crack growth behavior in fretting fatigue are needed.