An investigation was made of the evolution of damage during fatigue loading in Al–Cu 2024-T3 alloys using the positron annihilation Doppler broadening technique. This technique enables the monitoring, in a non-destructive way at the atomic and vacancy level, of the formation of deformation defects and their interaction with solute atoms at selected stages of fatigue testing. The changes in the S and W Doppler broadening parameters were linked to the changes in fatigue behavior at lower stress levels. The material was tested under constant amplitude fatigue loading at four different stress levels and Doppler broadening tests were conducted at selected stages of fatigue lifetime. The results were compared to those obtained during static tensile tests.

The Generation of Deformation Damage during Fatigue Loading in Al-Cu Alloy Studied by the Doppler Broadening Technique. M.L.Ruiz-Ripoll, H.Schut, N.H.Van Dijk, R.C.Alderliesten, S.Van Der Zwaag, R.Benedictus: Journal of Physics - Conference Series, 2011, 262[1], 012052