Observation of fretting fatigue cracks by micro-computed-tomography using ultrabright synchrotron radiation

Micro computed-tomography (μCT) using ultrabright synchrotron radiation was applied to observe the shape of fretting fatigue cracks in a titanium alloy. Three dimensional shape and coalescence of fretting fatigue cracks could be observed, and the shapes of the cracks obtained by the imaging agreed well with that obtained by the stereogram analysis of fracture surface using scanning electron microscopy. Transition of crack propagation mode inside specimen in fretting fatigue also could be observed nondestructively.