Fatigue life analysis of selective laser melting Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy based on crack initiation and propagation

Jun ZOU; Zhuyi CHEN; Xiaoyu XIA; Zhenyu FENG

doi:10.7527/S1000-6893.2025.31717

ACTA AERONAUTICAET ASTRONAUTICA SINICA >

2025 , Vol. 46 >Issue 17: 431717 - 431717

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7527/S1000-6893.2025.31717

Material Engineering and Mechanical Manufacturing

Fatigue life analysis of selective laser melting Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy based on crack initiation and propagation

Jun ZOU ,
Zhuyi CHEN ,
Xiaoyu XIA ,
Zhenyu FENG

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^1.College of Safety Science and Engineering，Civil Aviation University of China，Tianjin 300300，China
^2.Sino-European Institute of Aviation Engineering，Civil Aviation University of China，Tianjin 300300，China
^3.Science and Technology Innovation Institute，Civil Aviation University of China，Tianjin 300300，China

E-mail： jzou@cauc.edu.cn

Received date: 2024-12-16

Revised date: 2025-01-14

Accepted date: 2025-05-26

Online published: 2025-06-05

Supported by

Aeronautical Science Foundation of China(2024Z057067003);Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures(MCMS-E-0522Y03);Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(3122025084)

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Abstract

Additive Manufacturing （AM） has significant application value in the aerospace field due to its characteristics of free-forming and rapid production. However， the fatigue dispersion of materials produced by AM shows considerable variability， making accuratel fatigue life assessment a key challenge in aerospace applications. Selective Laser Melting （SLM） Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy exhibits high strength and low density. This paper establishes a fatigue life analysis method based on the mechanisms of crack initiation and propagation for this material. First， a rapid Stress Intensity Factor （SIF） analysis model was developed for cracks with varying sizes and locations based on finite element analysis. Subsequently， the crack propagation life was evaluated using the NASGRO model， and a defect-based crack initiation life model was established. Ultimately， a two-stage fatigue life analysis encompassing both crack initiation and propagation was developed. The analysis results were compared with fatigue test data from Transverse Build Direction （TD） and Parallel Build Direction （PD） samples. The results indicate that the fatigue life text results generally fall within the twofold error band， validating the effectiveness of the proposed method. Crack initiation is primarily influenced by the defect geometric characteristics， while crack propagation is mainly governed by the microstructure. This method provides a scientific basis and means for fatigue life assessment of AM materials.

Key words： selective laser melting; Al-Mg-Sc-Zr; crack initiation and propagation; defect geometric characteristics; life analysis

Cite this article

Jun ZOU , Zhuyi CHEN , Xiaoyu XIA , Zhenyu FENG . Fatigue life analysis of selective laser melting Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy based on crack initiation and propagation[J]. ACTA AERONAUTICAET ASTRONAUTICA SINICA, 2025 , 46(17) : 431717 -431717 . DOI: 10.7527/S1000-6893.2025.31717

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