Fatigue tests under alternate bending stress in air and 3% NaCl aqueous solution were carried out for commercially pure aluminum plates containing various of Fe and Si. The ratio of the number of cycles to failure in the solution to that in air decreases as Fe and Si increase. The bending stress σ, tensile strength σ
B and number of cyles to failure N
f are expressed independently of Fe and Si contents as follows:
(σ/σ
B)
7.3N
f=10
3.6(in air), (σ/σ
B)
5.3N
f=10
3.6 (in 3% NaCl aq. sol.)
The macro-fracture changes gradually from a serrated type to a straight line type as Fe and Si increase. Pits formed at the end of the specimen of low Fe and Si contents spread parallel to the stress direction, but ones in the specimen of high Fe and Si contents advance perpendicular to the stress direction. Ductile type striations are found on the fracture of low Fe and Si aluminum both in air and the solution. Tangled striations are found on the fractographs of the specimens containing high concentrations of Fe and Si fatigued in air at low bending stress, and brittle fractures are found on those fatigued in the solution.
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