Introduction To Fatigue
Introduction To Fatigue
Constant amplitude
cyclic loading.
Schematic ground-air-ground
flight spectrum.
Tips in Design for Fatigue Test and the Stress-
Life (S-N) Approach
1. Do consider the wide range of test systems and
specimens available for fatigue testing. Tests can range
from those performed on small, highly polished
specimens for material characterization to full‑scale
durability tests of large structures.
2. Do not neglect to refer to ASTM, ISO, or similar
standards on fatigue testing and data reduction
techniques.
3. Do consider that the fully reversed fatigue strength, Sp at
106 to 108 cycles for components can vary from about 1
to 70 percent of the ultimate tensile strength and that the
engineer can substantially influence this value by proper
design and manufacturing decisions.
4. Do note that cleaner metals, and generally smaller grain
size for ambient temperature, have better fatigue
resistance.
Tips in Design for Fatigue Test and the
Stress-Life (S-N) Approach (cont.)
5. Do recognize that frequency effects are generally small only
when corrosion, temperature, or other aggressive
environmental effects are absent.
6. Do consider that surface finish can have a substantial
influence on fatigue resistance, particularly at longer lives.
7. Do not neglect the advantages of compressive mean or
compressive residual stresses in improving fatigue life and
the detrimental effect of tensile mean or tensile residual
stresses in decreasing fatigue life, and that models are
available to account for these effects.
8. Do attempt to use actual fatigue data in design; however, if
this is not possible or reasonable, approximate estimates of
median fatigue behaviour can be made.
Tips in Design for the Strain-Life (ε -N)
Approach
1. Do consider that inelastic stress‑strain behaviour under repeated
loading is not the same as that determined under monotonic tensile
or compressive loading. Under repeated loading the difference
between materials is less than that under monotonic loading.
2. Do not ignore the role of material hardening or softening in cyclic
loading applications. Using a monotonic stress‑strain curve of a
cyclic softening material in a cyclic loading application can
significantly underestimate the extent of plastic deformation present.
3. Do consider the importance of material ductility on low‑cycle or
plastic strain dominated fatigue resistance and the importance of
material strength on the high‑cycle or elastic strain dominated
fatigue resistance.
4. Do recognize that strain‑life fatigue data of smooth uni-axial
specimens are based on cycles to failure, where failure represents
the formation of cracks on the order of 1 mm in depth, which may or
may not have caused fracture.
5. Do recognize that mean strains generally affect fatigue resistance
only if they produce a non-relaxing mean stress. The greatest effect
of mean stress is in the high‑cycle fatigue regime.
End