Fatigue of materials

Lec.1

High-cycle fatigue. Design with respect to fatigue limit.

Whler diagram. Haigh diagram and reduction of the
fatigue limit.

Lec.2

Design with respect to fatigue life, damage accumulation

Palmgren-Miner hypothesis.

Lec.3

Fatigue from a material point of view.

Guest lecturer. Johan Moverare

Lec.4

Fatigue from a structural mechanics point of view.

Guest lecturer. Hans Ansell (Saab)

Fatigue of materials
Introduction: Teaspoon example

Bend a teaspoon
repeatidly back and forth.
After a while the spoon
breaks with a snap.

Fatigue failure
Materials subjected to a time varying loading may fracture
even if the loading level is so low that stresses in the
material always are below the yield limit of the material

Fig. Meso scale

The progression of a fatigue failure may be divided into 3 stages

1) Crack initiation phase
2) Crackgrowth (crack propagation due to cyclic loading)
3) Fracture (final rupture when the crack is long enough)

When fatigue life is to be determined the number of loading

cycles to the final rupture has to be counted.
(no separaration between the different stages above is needed)

When designing for material fatigue, a calculated

stress or strain in the material has to be compared
with an experimentally determined fatigue strength
of the material.
There is a high degree of uncertances
The exact loading of a structure is perhaps not known
Hard to determine stresses due to local stressconcentrations or other geometrical imperfections
The fatigue life will differ between identical tests

Material fatigue is sorted into

High-Cycle Fatigue HCF (low stresses compared to

the yield limit, large number of loading cycles to failure)

Low-Cycle Fatigue LCF (high stresses, low number of

loading cycles to failure, usually strain based fatigue life
prediction)

High-Cycle Fatigue (HCF)

Definitions:
Stress amplitude :

1
a = ( max min )
2

(t) = m + a sin t

Mean stress:

1
m = ( max + min )
2

max = m + a

min = m a
t t
N= =
2

Number of loading cycles

Fatigue data are often given for two types of loadings

1) Alternating: ( m = 0 , a = 0 )

= 0

Notation:

a
t
2) Pulsating: ( m = a = 0 )

Notation:

= 0 0
t

Fatigue life calculations (Whler diagram)

m = 0

a = A log N + B

am N = K
1
log a = ( logK log N )
m

log N

N = number of loading
cycles to failure
SN-curve (Whler diagram) for steel

Fatigue life calculations (Whler diagram)

The fatigue limit u

m = 0

u = FL = fatigue limit

u
0

SN-curve (Whler diagram) for steel

log N

Fatigue life calculations (Whler diagram)

Effect of mean stress m on fatigue life and fatigue limit u

m = 0

m1 > 0
m2 > m1
u = FL = fatigue limit

u
0

log N

SN-curves (Whler diagram) for different values of the mean stress m

Fatigue life calculations (Whler diagram)

Statistical scatter

SN-curves is usually plotted for 50 % failure probability

u = FL = fatigue limit

u
0

log N

Material data for fatigue limits are usually given for

tension/compression, bending and torsion for alternating
and pulsating loading.
Fatigue limits (notations)
Alternating

Pulsating

Tension/compression

up up

Bending

ub

ubp ubp

Torsion

uv

uvp uvp

Load

The Haigh diagram

Shows the fatigue limit as a function of the mean stress plotted in the a - m plane.
Used to estimate the safety against fatigue failure

To construct the diagram:

1) Insert the data for fatigue limits in the diagram

u m = 0 , a = u
Pulsating: up up m = up , a = up
Alternating:

u +

up

up

2) Insert the ultimate strength and the yield limit

Y U

Area where no fatigue failure occurs

= ultimate strength

= yield limit

The Haigh diagram - Reduction of the fatigue limit

Factor

Reduction of the fatigue limit due to:

Surface roughness

Size of raw material

Size of loaded volume ( ub , uv )

a
Reduced diagram

u +
+

up

+
+

up

up
Y U

Reduction of the fatigue limit due to surface roughness ( )

Reduction of the fatigue limit due to size of raw material ()

Reduction of the fatigue limit due to size of loaded volume ()

Inserting the service stress P : ( m , a )

a
Reduced Haigh diagram

up

u +
+

+
+

up

a = stress amplitude
m = mean stress
Y = yield limit
U = ultimate strength
u , up = fatigue limits
, , = factors reducing fatigue limits

up
Y U

 Stress concentration factor Kt

In order to account for stress concentrations due to geometrical
imperfections such as holes, fillets and notches in a loaded volume the
mean stress is multiplied with the corresponding stress concentration
factor Kt.

m = K t nom
m
Fatigue notch factor Kf
The stress amplitude is multiplied with the fatigue notch
factor Kf at stress concentrations.

a = K f anom

Stress concentration factor Kt

m = K t nom
m

Stress concentration factor Kt

m = K t nom
m

Fatigue notch factor Kf

a = K f anom

Safety against fatigue failure, safety factors

nom
Inserting the service stress P : ( m , a ) = ( K t nom
)
m , K f a

Reduced Haigh diagram

+
+

+
+

A
+

up

up

AA'
AP
OB'
SFm =
OA

when m = constant

OC'
SFam =
OP

a
when
= constant
m

SFa =

Safety factors

Y U

when a = constant