ABSTRACT
Fatigue tests were performed consideringmicrotensile specimens (25× 2× 1mm). Specimens were ground and polished and fatigue loaded intermittently with a tensile holder and observed in situ using a SEM, considering 20 graphite elements. During fatigue tests, specimen deformation and applied load were measured by means of a Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) and two miniature load cells (10 kN each), respectively. Figures 2a and 2b show the tensile holder and the tensile test machine, respectively.
