Lightweight magnesium alloys and magnesium matrix composites have recently become more widespread for high-efficiency applications, including automobile, aerospace, defense, and electronic industries. Cast magnesium and magnesium matrix composites are applied in many highly moving and rotating parts, these parts can suffer from fatigue loading and are consequently subjected to fatigue failure. Reversed tensile-compression low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and high-cycle fatigue (HCF) of short fibers reinforced and unreinforced AE42 have been studied at temperatures of 20 °C, 150 °C, and 250 °C. To select suitable fatigue testing conditions, tensile tests have been carried out on AE42 and the composite material AE42-C at temperatures of up to 300 °C. The Wohler curves σa (NF) have shown that the fatigue strength of the reinforced AE42-C in the HCF range was double that of unreinforced AE42. In the LCF range at certain strain amplitudes, the fatigue life of the composite materials is much less than that of the matrix alloys, this is due to the low ductility of this composite material. Furthermore, a slight temperature influence up to 150 °C has been established on the fatigue behavior of the AE42-C. The fatigue life curves Δεtotal (NF) were described using the Basquin and Manson-Coffin approaches. Fracture surface investigations showed a mixed mode of serration fatigue pattern on the matrix and carbon fibers fracturing and debonding from the matrix alloy.
Keywords: AE42; HCF; LCF; carbon fiber; composite; fracture; tensile.