Characterisation of fretting fatigue damage using synchrotron X-ray micro-tomography

The fretting fatigue damage of mechanical joints is studied experimentally by considering the following scenario: first, the crack nucleation in the joint is investigated via fretting tests. Second, the propagation of the fretting cracks under cyclic uniaxial tensile loading is carried out and analysed. Synchrotron radiation X-ray micro-tomography is used to image for the very first time the three-dimensional shape of the initial fretting cracks as well as that of the propagating cracks at different stages of the fatigue life, thanks to a dedicated set-up. This technique brings new experimental data on the influence of the local microstructure on fretting fatigue damage, initiation and growth.