Fatigue Tests on Aluminum Specimens Subjected to Constant and Random Amplitude Loadings

Increasing interest in using aluminum as the structural component of light-weight structures, mechanical devices, and ships necessitates further investigations on fatigue life of aluminum alloys. The investigation reported here focuses on characterizing the performance of cruciform-shaped weldments made of 5083 aluminum alloys in thickness of 9.53 mm (3/8 in.) under constant, random, and bilevel amplitude loadings. The results are presented as S/N curves that show cyclic stress amplitude versus the number of cycles to failure. Statistical procedures show good agreements between test results and predicted fatigue life of aluminum weldments. Moreover, the results are compared to the results obtained from previous experiments on aluminum specimens with thicknesses of 12.7 mm (1/2 in.) and 6.35 mm (1/4 in.).