Effect of Corrosive Environment on Fretting Fatigue Under Plane Bending

Abstract

In order to investigate the effect of corrosive environment on fretting fatigue, plane bending fatigue tests were carried out by clamping contact pads to fatigue specimens. The materials for the fatigue specimens were S45C carbon steel and SCM430 (SCM435) alloy steel, and those for the pads were S45C steel for the S45C steel specimens and SUS420J1 steel for the SCM430 (SCM435) steel specimens. The tests were carried out in air and in city water.
From the results of the tests in air, it was found that the fatigue limit of the fretting fatigue specimen under plane bending was nearly equal to that of the shrink-fitted specimen under rotating bending. Both S45C+S45C and SCM430+SUS420J1 failed at the slipping region where fretting damage occurred by contacting with the fretting-shoe. S45C+S45C in city water failed at outside of the contact area with the fretting-shoe because the city water did not penetrate into the contact area. In the case of SCM435+SUS420J1 in city water, it was considered that the reduction of its fatigue stength in comparison with the case of S45C+S45C was due to the galvanic corrosion of SCM435 steel and SUS420J1 steel.