Many products and material components, some of which are used in aviation and automotive industries, require fatigue and endurance testing data prior to being used as intended.

Innovative Test Solutions is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited to perform high-cycle fatigue (HCF) and low-cycle fatigue (LCF) testing to meet ASTM standards E606 and E466 (from sub-ambient to 2,000+ degrees Fahrenheit).

What is Fatigue Testing?

Fatigue testing is a specialized mechanical test performed by using test machines capable of applying cyclic loads to simulate real-life challenges that materials may encounter.

Strain-controlled fatigue testing methods are influenced by the same variables that influence force-controlled fatigue.

It is a type of test that is used to generate fatigue-life data to identify critical locations or demonstrate the safety of a structure that could be susceptible to fatigue.

Methods for fatigue testing are utilized to characterize material properties and/or component behavior during the fatigue testing procedure. The test utilizes cyclic loading to predict the life expectancy of material components and how it can react in real-world situations.

Determining the component properties helps prevent failures in a number of industries, including aerospace, oil and gas, and the medical industry.

Our fatigue testing procedure is one of the most crucial elements of research and development, product safety, and material component verification programs.

Fatigue testing utilizes cyclic loading to predict the life expectancy of material components and how it can react in real-world situations.

Importance of the Fatigue Testing Procedure

Fatigue testing measures how cyclic forces will impact a product or material over the course of time. 

Using varying loads, speeds, and environmental conditions to monitor material behavior, fatigue testing machines simulate real-world behaviors and scenarios.

In many applications, materials are subjected to oscillating forces. The materials tested behave differently under these conditions as compared to a static load. 

Because of this, engineers are faced with predicting the fatigue life of the material. Fatigue life can be defined as the total number of cycles to failure under specified loading conditions.

How is Fatigue Testing Performed?

Fatigue testing is typically performed using servo-hydraulic testing machines. 

While a portion of fatigue tests are performed to plot stress against the number of cycles it takes for the item or material to fail, fatigue tests can also be used to simulate specific scenarios to assist with investigating real-world failures.

Scenarios include, but are not limited to, testing engine airfoil and gas turbine components to determine the expected life of the material.

ITS has more than 30 digitally controlled servo-hydraulic test frames. Our frames are outfitted with a state-of-the-art fixturing and data acquisition systems.

We customize methodologies and procedures for each specific product and material to ensure the highest-quality result is achieved.

Low-Cycle Fatigue Testing

Low-cycle fatigue (LCF) typically tests the material at low frequency in conjunction with large loads/strains. Stress levels are usually above the yield strength of the material.

Components are subjected to mechanical cyclic plastic strains, which cause fatigue failure within a short number of cycles.

ITS provides low-cycle fatigue tests in accordance with industry specifications, including ASTM E606

Testing per ASTM standards, low-cycle fatigue testing is targeted to run no more than 100,000 cycles. Depending on the material and customer requirements, test frequency can range from 0.25 Hz and more than 5 Hz.

Strain-life curves can be developed for the material during varying strain levels.

High-Cycle Fatigue Testing

High-cycle fatigue (HCF) achieves a large number of cycles with stress levels typically below the yield strength of the material. The tests are typically force-controlled and can run through one million cycles or more.

During high-cycle fatigue testing, samples will experience a range of frequencies that are dependent upon material types and environmental conditions. Test frequencies can range between 20 Hz and 60 Hz, depending on the material and required environmental conditions.

ITS will continue to test the specimen until a predetermined number of cycles or if specimen failure occurs.

We provide high-cycle fatigue testing services for engine airfoil and gas turbine components for service- life expectancy analysis. This is done by simulating high-level vibration conditions of airfoils during operation.

Fatigue Testing Services

ITS offers fatigue testing procedure as it is one of the most crucial elements of research and development, product safety, and material component verification programs.

Our facility has the capability to test a variety of loads and samples, and we can perform fatigue testing on metals, coatings, composites, and much more.

For more information regarding our fatigue testing methods and testing to ASTM standards, please request a quote using the form below.

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