An Automated System for Constant ${\Delta}K_{eff}$ Fatigue Crack Growth Testing through Real-time Measurement of Crack Opening Load

${\Delta}K_{eff}$ 제어 피로 균열 진전 시험 자동화 시스템에 관한 연구

An automated system is developed to perform fatigue crack growth tests under constant effective stress intensity factor range ${\Delta}K_{eff}$. In the system, crack length and crack opening load are measured in real-time by using the unloading elastic compliance method. The system consists of two personal computers, an analogue electrical subtraction circuit, a stepping motor, a stepping motor driver, a PIO board, and the application software used to integrate the whole system. The performance of the developed system was tested and discussed performing constant ${\Delta}K_{eff}$ crack growth tests on a CT specimen of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. The performance of the system is found to be strongly dependent on the accuracy of measurements of crack opening load. Besides constant ${\Delta}K_{eff}$ testing, the system is expected to be successfully applied for automation of various fatigue tests.