A proposed new ASTM standard will assist in establishing tests for fretting fatigue, an issue at attachments and joints in a variety of mechanical, aeronautical and biomedical engineering systems and devices. WK24298, Guide for Fretting Fatigue Testing, is being developed by Subcommittee E08.05 on Cyclic Deformation and Fatigue Crack Formation, part of ASTM International Committee E08 on Fatigue and Fracture.

“Attachment locations in mechanical systems undergoing cyclic loading are often critical in the reliability and safety of the system,” says Richard Neu, Ph.D., a professor of mechanical engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, and chair of Task Group E08.05.05 on Fretting Fatigue. “Fretting fatigue is of particular concern for dove-tail attachments between the blades and disk in turbines, spline coupling of shafts, press fits, multilayer steel gaskets, mechanical joints in orthopaedic implants, cardiovascular devices in stents and more.”

Neu notes that fretting is the low amplitude cyclic rubbing of two surfaces in contact, often localized near the edge of the contact. It can lead to degradation of the surfaces, either by formation of a fatigue crack, called fretting fatigue, or wearing of the surfaces, or a combination of the two. The proposed new standard will cover tests for fretting fatigue response.

Once approved, WK24298 will be used for testing and to promote consistent use of terminology in reports and articles by engineers, researchers and technicians working with fretting fatigue.

All interested parties are invited to participate in the development of WK24298. “We are soliciting participation from a broad range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, materials sciences and medical,” says Neu. “We would like WK24298 to be useful to all of these diverse communities and we are particularly interested in participation from anyone currently conducting fretting fatigue tests.”

ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.

Technical Contact: Richard W. Neu, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga., Phone: 404-894-3074; rick.neu@gatech.edu

ASTM Staff Contact: Jeff Adkins, Phone: 610-832-9738; jadkins@astm.org

ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org

Release #8430/Dec2009