Spectrum Fatigue of 7075-T651 Aluminum Alloy Under Overloading and Underloading

Most structural members and machine components are subjected in service to cyclic loadings of varying amplitude. The variation in stress level follows either a regular or random pattern. The resulting crack growth is affected by the applied load sequence in the early stage (crack initiation) and in the later stage (crack propagation) of fatigue. The fatigue crack growth is known to be retarded by tensile overloads and accelerated by compressive overloads (underloads). However, the phenomenon and mechanism of the load sequence effects, especially those of overloading and underloading, on fatigue crack growth in different environments remain to be clarified.