A fatigue study of electrical discharge machine (EDM) strain-gage balance materials
A fatigue study was undertaken to determine how much electrical-discharge-machine (EDM) processing affected the fatigue life of balance materials: EDM and regular milling-machine (MM) samples were compared. Simulation of a typical balance stress configuration was devised for the fatigue testing in order to obtain results more closely related to balance situations. The fatigue testing of the EDM and MM specimens has indicated that the EDM technique does indeed reduce the fatigue life of 15-5PH steel, the first balance material tested. This conclusion was based on comparisons of the specimen fatigue lives with theoretical and manufacturer's data. Hence the EDM surface effects are detrimental to the fatigue life of this balance material.
Rhew, Ray D.↗