Predicting Fatigue Properties through Hardness Measurements
by
James C. McMahon
F. V. Lawrence
Department of Metallurgy and Mining Engineering
Abstract
The fatigue properties of steels can be estimated from their hardnesses just as tensile strength is commonly related to this familiar measurement. Knowledge of such material properties is required when making predictions of the fatigue resistance of weldments. The use of hardness measurements is not meant to replace actual fatigue testing. It is here proposed for the estimation of the fatigue properties of materials which are difficult and expensive to test, such as the HAZ (heat-affected zone) of welds. This paper examines and compares the commonly used relationships between hardness and fatigue properties and also investigates the applicability of these correlations to various steels over different ranges of strength.
Download (1 MB)