Cyclic Loading on Damaged AA7075-T6 Specimens: Numerical Modelling and Experimental Testing

AA7075-T6 is widely used in the aviation and aerospace industries thanks to its interesting strength-to-weight ratio. The fatigue life of the structural components of aircrafts and rockets can be altered as a consequence of the impact of alien objects. This work investigates the fatigue behavior of an AA7075-T6 hourglass specimen induced by the impact of a steel ball at its minimum cross section. The specimen is then tested with a rotating bending moment. The stress distributionsr after impact and during cyclic loading are estimated using the Finite Element (FE) method. The failure mechanism was clarified by the observation of the failed specimen surface