Fractal approach to analyse the size effect of selective laser melted AlSi10Mg alloy

The selective laser melted AlSi10Mg alloy shows a decrease in high-cycle fatigue strength with increasing specimen size. An attempt has been made to predict this phenomenon using a monofractal and multifractal model. The assumption of these approaches is to use a fractal dimension to describe the damage to the ligament of the material structure. The size effect has been analysed for a parameter C of the S-N curve and a variable specimen cross-sectional area (A). The relative errors suggest a good fit between predicted and experimental results. The fractal approach determines the correct prediction of fatigue strength for the specimen size tested. Increasing the accuracy of the models requires the input of material constants for selected test conditions.