Near-threshold fatigue crack growth behavior of 2195 aluminum-lithium-alloy—prediction of crack propagation direction and influence of stress ratio

Tensile properties and fatigue crack propagation behavior of a 2195-T8 Al-Li alloy were investigated at different stress ratios, with particular emphasis on their dependence on specimen orientation. Specimens with orientations of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 90 deg to the rolling direction were tested. The alloy contained a strong brass-type texture and a profuse distribution of platelike precipitates of T1 (Al2CuLi) phase on {111} matrix planes. Both tensile strength and fatigue thresholds were found to be strongly dependent on the specimen orientation, with the lowest values observed along the direction at 45 deg to the rolling direction. The effect of stress ratio on fatigue threshold could generally be explained by a modified crack closure concept. The growth of fatigue crack in this alloy was found to exhibit a significant crystallographic cracking and especially macroscopic crack deflection. The specimens oriented in the L-T + 45 deg had the smallest deflection angle, while the specimens in the L-T and T-L orientations exhibited a large deflection angle. The dependence of the fatigue threshold on the specimen orientation could be rationalized by considering an equivalent fatigue threshold calculated from both mode I and mode II values due to the crack deflection. A four-step approach on the basis of Schmid’s law combined with specific crystallographic textures is proposed to predict the fatigue crack deflection angle. Good agreement between the theoretical prediction and experimental results was observed.