Small surface and corner crack propagation in aluminum and steel alloys

The purpose of the investigation reported here was to examine experimentally the transition behavior of a short crack in detail using surface-crack measurements with a traveling microscope and micromeasurements obtained by scanning-electron microscopy (SEM). The cyclic growth and transition of initial part-through cracks into through the thickness flaws are documented through experiments by using compact-type specimens fabricated from 7075-T6 aluminum, 2024-T3 aluminum, and mild-steel material, with a keyhole notch. Paper was presented at the 1986 SEM Fall Conference on Experimental Mechanics held in Keystone, CO on November 2–5.