Evaluation of corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy lifetime under consecutive shock-wave and VHCF fatigue loads

An experimental and theoretical study of fracture mechanisms of the AMg6 alloy at different structural levels was carried out under consecutive shock-wave and fatigue tests associated with conventional catastrophic events of aircraft engine components (fan blades) due to the foreign object damage and the life-time decrease in the presence of a corrosive environment. The test program for shock-wave loading of massive flat targets made of aluminum alloy AlMg6 with profiled impactors (explosive generator method) initiating controlled damage of various levels in the volume of the material was implemented experimentally, followed by the application of an ultra-high cycle load (the number of cycles 10⁷–10⁹) on samples specially prepared from the target material samples. Fatigue tests of preloaded samples were conducted on Shimadzu USF-2000 ultrasonic fatigue testing machine with the cooling by abundant compressed-air and salt fog (3% NaCl).