Daimlerchrysler Rail Systems Gmbh

Rainer Franke

Hartmut Carstensen

Reinhard Kn&ouml;dler

A method for determining the fatigue strength of a corrodible connecting part between at least two structural parts, with the connecting part being subjected to specified corroding surroundings and a given repeated mechanical strain while being used. Diagrams (stress-number curves) that represents the variable of the repeated strain in relation to the number of strain repetitions until the destruction of the connecting part are used in order to determine the fatigue strength. First, a strain-free pre-corrosion of the connecting parts is carried out in a corrosive atmosphere corresponding to the corrosive atmosphere during the intended use of the part, in a time period after which the duration of the pre-corrosion has hardly any influence on the shape of a stress-number curve that is recorded subsequently. The pre-corrosion connecting part is then subjected to a given repeated mechanical strain in surroundings which match the specific corroded surroundings in order to record a stress-number curve until the fatigue strength has been reached. The pre-corrosion is preferably carried out at a temperature which is higher than ambient temperature, whereby the duration of the pre-corrosion can be significantly reduced.

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Pirna, Germany

Rainer Franke