Elasto-Plastic Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Extruded Mg Alloy with Deformation Anisotropy Due to Stress Ratio Fluctuation

Fatigue crack growth (FCG) experiments were performed using a low-temperature extruded magnesium alloy AZ31 with texture. Under a constant maximum stress intensity factor (K(max)), the stress ratio R was changed from 0.1 to −1 during the fatigue crack growth process, and the FCG behavior before and after the R change was investigated. As a result, tensile twins were generated owing to the fatigue load on the compression side of R = −1, and the FCG velocity was accelerated. In addition, when the maximum compressive stress at R = −1 (|(σ(min))(R = −1)|) exceeded the compressive yield strength of the material (σ(cy)), the FCG velocity after R fluctuation greatly accelerated. On the other hand, under the condition |(σ(min))(R = −1)| < σ(cy), the degree of acceleration of the FCG velocity due to R fluctuation was small. In either case, the degree of acceleration in the FCG increased as the K(max) value increased. The above FCG acceleration mechanism due to the R fluctuation was considered based on the observation of the deformation and twinning states of the fatigue crack tip, the fatigue crack closure behavior, and the cyclic stress–strain curve of the fatigue process. The FCG acceleration mechanism was as follows: First, the driving force of the FCG increased owing to the increase in crack opening displacement due to the generation of tensile twins. Second, the coalescence of the main crack and a plurality of microcracks were generated at the twin interface. The elasto-plastic FCG behavior after the stress ratio fluctuations is defined by the effective J-integral range ΔJ(eff).