Mechanics of Fretting Fatigue

The field of fretting fatigue is extremely important in many areas of mechanical engineering. Fatigue cracks frequently initiate not from free surfaces, but from clamped or bolted components suffering vibration or other forms of minor oscillatory loading. This produces surface degradation, and conditions ripe for the initiation and early propulsion of cracks, constituting the phenomenon of fretting fatigue. This volume presents a summary of the current state of knowledge of fretting fatigue, with particular reference to the influence of mechanical variables, such as the applied forces, coefficient of friction and surface finish. It includes elements of the theories of contact mechanics and fracture mechanics in order to establish a rigorous framework for the understanding of the phenomenon. It goes on to describe fretting fatigue experiments and to describe the influence of the variables cited on fretting fatigue performances. The treatment is largely independent of the materials studied. The book does not require specialized mathematical knowledge.It should be of interest to mechanical engineers and materials scientists in research and development, but could also be used as a supplementary text for graduate students.