Effect of Aqueous Environment on High Cycle and Very-High-Cycle Fatigue Behavior for a Structural Steel

Abstract

In this paper, rotary bending fatigue tests for a structural steel were performed in laboratory air, fresh water and 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution, respectively, thus to investigate the influence of environmental media on the fatigue propensity of the steel, especially in high cycle and very-high-cycle fatigue regimes. The results show that the fatigue strength of the steel in water is remarkably degraded compared with the case tested in air, and that the fatigue strength in 3.5% NaCl solution is even lower than that tested in water. The fracture surfaces were examined to reveal fatigue crack initiation and propagation characteristics in air and aqueous environments.