Fatigue Analysis

Samuel Charca, PhD

Fatigue
Metal fatigue is a process which cause a
premature failure or damage of a component
subjected to a repeated loading.

Three primary fatigue analysis exist.

 Stress life approach.
 Strain life approach.
 Fracture mechanics approach.
Stress Life
Was the first approach used in an attempt
to understand and quantifying metal fatigue.
The S-N approach is widely used in design
applications where the applied stress is
primarily within the elastic range of the
material and the results lives (cycles to
failure) are long, such as power
transmission shafts.
S-N Diagram

S-N approach are valid only if the plastic

strain are small.
S-N Diagram
S-N test data is usually presented on a log-
log plot, with actual S-N line representing
the mean of the data.
Certain materials, primary body centered
cubic (BCC) steels, have an endurance of
fatigue limit, Se, which is a stress level
below which the material has an infinite life.
For engineering purpose, this “infinite” life
is usually considered one million cycles.
Endurance Limit
The endurance limit is due to the
interstitial elements, such as carbon or
nitrogen in iron, which pin dislocation. This
prevents the slip mechanism that leads to
the formation of microcracks. Care must be
taken when using the endurance limit since
it can disappear due to:
 Periodic overload.
 Corrosive environment.
 High temperature
Endurance Limit
Most non ferrous alloys have no endurance
limit and the S-N line has a continuous
slope. A pseudo endurance limit or fatigue
strength for these materials is taken as the
stress value corresponding to life of 5x108
cycles.
Endurance Limit
The ratio of endurance limit to ultimate
strength for a given material is the fatigue
ratio. Most of the steels with an ultimate
strength below 200 ksi have a fatigue ratio
of 0.5. It should be noted that this ratio can
range from 0.35 to 0.6.
Endurance Limit
S-N curves of various metals
Endurance Limit
Endurance limit related to the ultimate
strength

The alternating stress level corresponding

to a life of 1000 cycles, S1000, can be
estimated as 0.9 times the ultimate strength
S-N Diagram
In place of graphical approach shown
previously, a power relationship can be used
to estimated the S-N curve for steel.

where N is cycles to failure and the

constants a and b are defined by the points
103, (Sf)103 and 106, Se with (Sf)103 = f (Sut)
S-N Diagram
If a completely reversed stress σa is given,
setting Sf = σa, the number of cycles-to-
failure can be expressed as
 Mean Stress Effects
Definition are used
 Mean Stress Effects
Definition are used

The R and A values for a common loading are:

 Endurance Limit Modifying Factors
In fatigue various factors can affect the fatigue
life.
 Material: composition, basis of failure,
variability
 Manufacturing: method, heat treatment, fretting
corrosion, surface condition, stress
concentration
 Environment: corrosion, temperature, stress
state, relaxation times
 Design: size, shape, life, stress state, stress
concentration, speed, fretting, galling
Endurance Limit Modifying Factors
Marin, identified factors that quantified the effects of
surface condition, size, loading, temperature, and
miscellaneous items, which can be expressed as:
Surface Factor, ka
The surface modification factor depends on
the quality of the finish of the actual part
surface and on the tensile strength of the
part material. ka can be determine by.

where Sut is the minimum tensile strength

and a and b are to be found in Table 6–2.
Surface Factor, ka
Size factor, kb
The results for bending and torsion may be expressed as

For axial loading there is no size effect, so

Size factor, kb
One of the problems that arises in using Eq. is what
to do when a round bar in bending is not rotating, or
when a noncircular cross section is used
Loading factor, kc
When fatigue tests are carried out with rotating
bending, axial (push-pull), and torsional loading,
the endurance limits differ with Se
 Temperature factor, kd
When operating temperatures are below room
temperature, brittle fracture is a strong possibility
and should be investigated first. When the operating
temperatures are higher than room temperature,
yielding should be investigated first because the
yield strength drops off so rapidly with
temperature;
 Temperature factor, kd

If the rotating beam endurance limit is known at room temperature, then use
 Reliability factor, ke
The discussion presented here accounts for the scatter of
data. Data presented by Haugen and Wirching show
standard deviations of endurance strengths of less than 8
percent. Thus the reliability modification factor to account
for this can be written as
Miscellaneous-Effects Factor kf

 Residual stresses.
 Heat treatments.
 Corrosion.
 Electrolytic plating.
 Metal spraying.
 Cyclic frequency.
 Frettage corrosion
 Corrosion
It is to be expected that parts that operate in a
corrosive atmosphere will have a lowered fatigue
resistance.
 Mean or static stress
 Alternating stress
 Electrolyte concentration
 Dissolved oxygen in electrolyte
 Material properties and composition
 Temperature
 Cyclic frequency
 Fluid flow rate around specimen
 Local crevices
 Electrolytic plating.
 Metal spraying.
 Cyclic frequency.
 Frettage corrosion.
Stress Concentration and
Notch Sensitivity
The maximum stress is, in fact

Where Kf is a reduced value of Kt and σo is the

nominal stress. The factor Kf is commonly called a
fatigue stress-concentration factor, and hence the
subscript f.
Stress Concentration and
Notch Sensitivity
Notch sensitivity q is defined by

where q is usually between zero and unity. Equation

shows that if q = 0, then Kf = 1, and the material has
no sensitivity to notches at all. On the other hand, if q
= 1, then Kf = Kt , and the material has full notch
sensitivity
Stress Concentration and
Notch Sensitivity
Stress Concentration and
Notch Sensitivity
Stress Concentration and
Notch Sensitivity
Example
A 1015 hot-rolled steel bar has been machined to a
diameter of 1 in. It is to be placed in reversed axial
loading for 70 000 cycles to failure in an operating
environment of 550°F. Using ASTM minimum
properties, and a reliability of 99 percent, estimate the
endurance limit and fatigue strength at 70 000 cycles
Solution
The endurance limit considering different factors is:
Solution – S’e
For this materials Sut = 50 ksi at room temperature.
First we have to determine the ultimate strength at
the 550 oF . By interpolation (ST/SRT) = 0.979
(Sut)550o = (ST/SRT) (Sut) = 0.979(50) ksi.
= 49 ksi
The rotating bean specimen endurance limit at 550 oF
is:
S’e = 0.5 (Sut)550o
= 24.5 ksi
Solution
 Surface condition factor, for machined
surface:
ka = aSbut ;
a = 2.7, b = -0.265
ka = 0.963
 Size modification factor: Axial loading:
kb = 1
Solution
 Loading factor, axial load:
kc = 0.85
 Temperature factor: we already consider to
determine the temperature effect in the
ultimate strength, for instance.
kd = 1
 Reliability factor : For 99 % of reliability
ke = 0.814
 No other factors are mentioned, therefore:
kf = 1
Solution
Endurance limit:
Se = kakbkckdkekfS’e
Se = 0.963(1)(0.85)(1)(0.814)(1)(24.5)
Se = 16.3 ksi
Solution
Fatigue strength:

a = 119.3 ksi b = -0.1441

Sf = 23.9 ksi
 Example
Figure shows a rotating shaft simply supported in ball
bearings at A and D and loaded by a nonrotating force F
of 6.8 kN. Using ASTM “minimum” strengths, estimate
the life of the part.

(a) Shaft drawing showing all dimensions in millimeters; all fillets 3-mm
radius. The shaft rotates and the load is stationary; material is machined
from AISI 1050 cold-drawn steel.
Solution
Maximum moment:

Failure will probably occur at B rather than

at C
Solution
Solving the problem for point B. from tables Sut =
690 MPa and Sy = 580 MPa, the endurance limit is:
S’e = 0.5(690)
S’e = 345 MPa
From table 6-2:
ka = 4.51(690)-0.265 = 0.798
From table 6-20
kb = (32/7.62)-0.107 = 0.858
We may assume:
kc = kd = ke = kf = 1
Se = 0.798(0.858)345 = 236 MPa
Solution
To find the geometric stress concentration
factor Kt.

D/d = 1.1875
r/d = 0.09375

Kt = 1.65
Solution
Sut in ksi  Sut = 100 ksi (1ksi = 6.89 MPa)
√a = 0.0622√in
√a = 0.313√mm
1.65  1
K f 1
1  0.313 / 3

Kf = 1.55
 Solution
Bending stress at B:
MB = R1x = 225(F)(250)/550
= 695.5 N-m
Section modulus is:
d 3
s  I /c   3.217 x103 mm 3
32
The reversing stress is, assuming infinite life
MB
  Kf  335.1MPa
I /c
The stress is greater than Se and less than Sy.
Means finite life and no yield on the firsts
cycles
Solution
For finite life: f = 0.844, from figure 6-18

a = 1437 MPa b = -0.1308

a = 335.1 MPa
N = 68x103 cycles
Fatigue Analysis – Part 2
Samuel Charca, Ph.D.
 Characterizing Fluctuating
Stresses
Fluctuating stresses in machinery often take the form
of a sinusoidal pattern because of the nature of some
rotating machinery. However, other patterns, some
quite irregular, do occur.
Characterizing Fluctuating
Stresses
 Fatigue Failure Criteria for
Fluctuating Stress
Now that we have defined the various
components of stress associated with a
part subjected to fluctuating stress, we
want to vary both the midrange stress and
the stress amplitude, or alternating
component, to learn something about the
fatigue resistance of parts when subjected
to such situations
Fatigue Failure Criteria for
Fluctuating Stress
Modified
Goodman diagram
showing all the
strengths and the
limiting values of
all the stress
components for a
particular
midrange stress.
Haigh Diagram
Results of a fatigue test using non-zero
mean stress on a alternating stress vs. mean
stress, with lines with constant life. This plot
is incorrectly called modified Goodman
diagram
Haigh Diagram
Since the test required to generate a Haigh
diagram can be expensive, several empirical
relationship have been developed
Master fatigue diagram created for AISI 4340 steel having Sut = 158 and
Sy = 147 kpsi. The stress components at A are σmin = 20, σmax = 120,
σm =70, and σa =50, all in kpsi. (Source: H. J. Grover, Fatigue of Aircraft
Structures, U.S. Government Printing Office,Washington, D.C., 1966, pp.
317, 322. See also J. A. Collins, Failure of Materials in Mechanical Design,
Wiley, New York, 1981, p. 216.)
 Failure Criteria
Fatigue diagram showing various criteria of failure. For each
criterion, points on or “above” the respective line indicate failure.
Some point A on the Goodman line, for example, gives the
strength Sm as the limiting value of σm corresponding to the
strength Sa, which, paired with σm, is the limiting value of σa.
Constant life fatigue diagram
Safety Factor
Constant life fatigue diagram
The following generalization can be made when
discussing cases of tensile mean stress
 Example
A component undergoes a cycles stress with a
maximum value of 110 ksi and a minimum value of
10 ksi. The component is made from a steel, with a
ultimate strength, Su, of 150 ksi and endurance
limit, Se, of 60 ksi and a fully reversed stress 1000
cycles, S1000, of 110 ksi. Using the Goodman
relationship, determine the life on the component
 Solution
Determine the stress amplitude and mean stress

Generate a Haigh diagram with constant life lines at

106 and 103 cycles. These lines are constructed by
connecting endurance limit, Se, and S1000 values on
the alternating stress axis to the ultimate strength,
Su, on the mean stress
 Solution
When stress conditions for the component (a = 50
ksi, m = 60 ksi) are plotted on the Haigh diagram, the
point fall between the 103 and 106 life lines. This means
that the component will have a finite life, but the life is
greater than 100 cycles. Next, a line is drawn through
the point representing the stress condition and the
ultimate strength, Su, on the mean stress axis. This line
represent the fully reverser alternating stress axis at
value of 83 ksi.
Alternative way to calculate:
 Solution
Haigh diagram
 Solution
The value of Sn can now be entered on the S-N
diagram to determine the life of the component.

This problem could be redone using the Gerber,

Soderberg and Morrow mean stress equaqtion.
Approach to Fatigue Failure in
Analysis and Design