Growing and critical ovalization for sharp-notched 6061-T6 aluminum alloy tubes under cyclic bending

In this paper, we present results from experiments dealing ovalization in 6061-T6 aluminum alloy tubes which have been notched and subjected to cyclic bending are presented. It was discovered that the tubes continuously ovalized to a critical quantity when they buckled. Tubes with a smooth surface and five different notch depths were considered. The ovalization–curvature curve exhibited a symmetrical and ratcheting increase with the number of bending cycles. Deeper notch depths caused greater ovalizations. In addition, the trend of the ovalization at negative extreme curvature and number of bending cycles relationship was distinguished into three stages. Finally, the empirical form proposed by Lee, Hung, and Pan in 2010 was employed for describing the above-mentioned correlation in the first two stages. It was found that the experimental and simulated data agreed quite well.