A Novel Method for Testing and Evaluating the Fatigue Life of Metal Vibration Absorber

Metal vibration absorber has been widely used to reduce the structural vibration under various complex environmental conditions, the fatigue reliability of which has an important influence on the safety of the structure. In this paper, a novel fatigue failure criterion when the residual preload displacement of metal vibration absorber is equal to the fatigue displacement amplitude is proposed to determine the fatigue life of metal vibration absorber. And a set of fatigue failure life prediction method is developed to obtain the failure life of non-failed metal vibration absorber. The predicted load versus life (P-N) curve of the metal vibration absorber under different load levels shows a good power function relation. Based on the fatigue displacement amplitude-life curves and the residual preload displacement-life curves of the metal vibration absorbers, a fatigue failure assessment diagram is successfully established. Further, the residual fatigue failure life of in-service metal vibration absorber can also be predicted according to the failure assessment diagram. By means of the scanning electron microscopy and the three-dimensional tomography equipment, the microanalyses of metal wire components after fatigue tests are conducted, and the fatigue wear and fracture law of metal wire in the metal vibration absorber is mastered.