Crystallographic Analysis of Fatigue Crack Initiation Behavior in Coarse-Grained Magnesium Alloy Under Tension-Tension Loading Cycles

Plane bending fatigue tests are conducted to investigate fatigue crack initiation mechanisms in coarse-grained magnesium alloy, AZ31, under the stress ratios R = −1 and 0.1. The initial crystallographic structures are analyzed by an electron backscatter diffraction method. The slip or twin operation during fatigue tests is identified from the line angle analyses based on Euler angles of the grains. Under the stress ratio R = −1, relatively thick tension twin bands are formed in coarse grains. Subsequently, compression twin or secondary pyramidal slip operates within the tension twin band, resulting in the fatigue crack initiation. On the other hand, under R = 0.1 with tension-tension loading cycles, twin bands are formed on the specimen surface, but the angles of those bands do not correspond to tension twins. Misorientation analyses of c-axes in the matrix grain and twin band reveal that double twins are activated. Under R = 0.1, fatigue crack initiates along the double twin boundaries. The different manners of fatigue crack initiation at R = −1 and 0.1 are related to the asymmetricity of twining under tension and compression loadings. The fatigue strengths under different stress ratios cannot be estimated by the modified Goodman diagram due to the effect of stress ratio on crack initiation mechanisms.