Several Users have asked me to post some helpful "rules of thumb" that may be useful when performing life prediction tasks. While I am happy to do it, I must first state that while I have found this information to be useful, each user must take full responsibility for their own life predictions. Neither I nor LexTech take any responsibility for how this information is used.

Typical Retardation Parameters

Willenborg SOLR

Aluminum (2.5 to 3.0)

Titanium Alloys (2.2 to 2.7)

Steel (1.8 to 2.2)

Closure Model

Aluminum (3.8 to 4.2)

Crack Growth Rate Data

Aluminum Alloys

Threshold @R=0 (1 to 2) Note, while this is the typical range, I have seen reputable data as high as 3 in a few cases. Always look at data for a similar alloy if there are no reliable data for the alloy of interest.

A typical crossing point for most aluminum alloys is approximately 1.0 E-5 in/cycle at Delta K = 10 Ksi-sqrt(in) for R=0

Also, note that a "double-knee" is typical for aluminum alloys tested in air. The first "knee" generally ocurrs at approx. 4.0E-07, and the second around 2.0E-8 in/cycle.