EXTENSION OF MIXED-MODE FATIGUE CRACKS IN STEEL SAMPLES

摘要

Experimental studies of the extension of mixed-mode fatigue cracks were performed on rail steel samples. The direction of growth of fatigue cracks was studied for three types of loading: alternate transverse shear and transverse and longitudinal shears under compressing stresses. For all tested samples, the following common feature in the extension of fatigue cracks was established: the direction of crack growth coincides with the propagation direction of the principal stresses having minimum absolute values.