Exoemission diagnosis and prediction of fatigue strength of metals

An investigation of possibilities of the defectoscopy and of the prediction of the fatigue strength of metals has shown that based on an analysis of the thermal emission parameters it is possible to describe the structure and present the level of stresses arising in a material subjected to fatigue loading. The kinetics of the thermal electron emission is investigated in fatigue tests. It is found that after a specimen is loaded and a certain time elapses, a stage-by-stage variation of the emission is observed. As the temperature position of the maximum of the thermally stimulated electron emission is related to the fatigue endurance, there exists a possibility for determining the amount loading cycles prior to failure of the specimen. Presented are the main hypotheses describing the mechanism of thermal electron emission, and the efficiency analysed is of the practical application of the method to non-destructive testing and prediction of the fatigue strength of metals