The damping property of 6061 aluminium alloys, fabricated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP), has
been studied for different ratios of fatigue on the base of modal damping analysis. The effects of age
hardening on hardness, fatigue strength and damping loss factor of the material are discussed. On
the other hand, the interrelations of fatigue life ratios and the damping loss factor are examined
using modal analysis of free-free standard fatigue specimens within a wide range of resonance
frequencies (2000 Hz-25 kHz). Methodologies used to generate data and extract the characteristics
of damping phenomenon have been illustrated. Numerical analysis of values of damping loss factor
has been evaluated and compared with experimental measurements.
A rotating bending fatigue test is performed to correlate the modal damping to fatigue damage. The
results show that, age hardening process increases the fatigue strength by 15% and the damping loss
factor by 160 %. The underlying mechanisms are analyzed and discussed. The results seem to be a
useful guide that may help in estimating the lifetime or at least the remaining life of a member
loaded under fatigue through measuring damping loss factor.