Fatigue life calculation for TC4-TC11 titanium alloy specimens fabricated by laser melting deposition

Abstract

In this study, the numerical and experimental investigation on the fatigue life of TC4-TC11 titanium alloy specimens fabricated by laser melting deposition is conducted. First, the damage-coupled elastic-plastic constitutive equations and fatigue damage evolution equations are derived, and the material parameter calibration of TC4-TC11 in the equations are presented. Then, a series of experiments are carried out using specimens to analyze the mechanical properties of TC4-TC11 titanium alloy. The scanning electron microscope tests on the fracture surfaces of specimens were conducted in order to identify the crack initiation site and investigate the dispersion in the fatigue lives. At last, the numerical calculation algorithm for the fatigue life of TC4-TC11 specimen is presented and the calculated fatigue lives show consistency with the experimental results.