Solution:

First, we calculate 𝝈𝒎𝒂𝒙 and 𝝈𝒎𝒊𝒏, then 𝝈𝒂 and 𝝈𝒎 , then 𝑺𝒆 and finally we check the fatigue criteria.
Obs: Do not mind the units, the equations are all the same.
Step 1 - Calculate the nominal maximum and minimum stresses (𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 and 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 ) in all the critical regions.
These are the regions with notches, in this case the region with the fillet and the region with the hole. In the
case of a fillet, always calculate 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 and 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 in the smallest of the two sections around the fillet (in this
case, the section with 𝑤2 not the section with 𝑤1 ). When calculating 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 and 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 in the hole’s region,
always subtract the diameter of the hole from the section.
𝐹𝑚𝑎𝑥 4
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = = = 3.2 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
𝑤2 ℎ 2.5 × 0.5
𝐹𝑚𝑖𝑛 −16
𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = = = −12. .8 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
𝑤2 ℎ 2.5 × 0.5

𝐹𝑚𝑎𝑥 4
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = = = 2.67 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
(𝑤1 − 𝑑)ℎ (3.75 − 0.75) × 0.5
𝐹𝑚𝑖𝑛 −16
𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = = = −10.67 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
(𝑤1 − 𝑑)ℎ (3.75 − 0.75) × 0.5

Step 2 - Calculate the amplitude and the mean stresses (𝜎𝑎 and 𝜎𝑚 ) in all the critical regions
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝜎𝑎−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 𝐾𝑓−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = [1 + 𝑞(𝐾𝑡−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 − 1)]
2 2
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝜎𝑚−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 𝐾𝑓−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = [1 + 𝑞(𝐾𝑡−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 − 1)]
2 2

𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛

𝜎𝑎−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 𝐾𝑓−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = [1 + 𝑞(𝐾𝑡−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 − 1)]
2 2
 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝜎𝑚−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 𝐾𝑓−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = [1 + 𝑞(𝐾𝑡−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 − 1)]
2 2
Where 𝐾𝑓 is the stress concentration factor for fatigue! Its equation is 𝐾𝑓 = 1 + 𝑞(𝐾𝑡 − 1). The stress
concentration factor (𝐾𝑡 ) was originally created by engineers to estimate the stresses in a component with
complicated geometry, such as the plate with a hole or a fillet. 𝑲𝒕 should be extracted from a table or a
graph (such as Figure A-15-5 for the fillet and Figure A-15-1 for the hole). It is rarely used today as we
have finite element software to calculate stresses in complicated structures much more precisely. While 𝐾𝑡
depends solely on the geometry, 𝐾𝑓 depends on the material also, because 𝑞 is the material’s sensitivity
factor. The idea of the 𝐾𝑓 is the same as the idea of the 𝐾𝑡 , which is to be able to estimate the stress in a
region with complicated geometry, but also taking the into consideration that some materials are more
sensitive to notches than others.

𝐷 𝑤 𝑟 𝑟
In our case, as 𝑑 = 𝑤1 = 1.5 and 𝑑 = 𝑤 = 0.1 than 𝐾𝑡−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 2.1
2 1
 𝑑 𝑑
In our case, as 𝑤 = 𝑤 = 0.2 than 𝐾𝑡−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 2.5.
1

To determine the correct 𝒒 we must use a table or graph, such as the following Figure 6-20. As can
be seen, 𝑞 can be estimated based on our material’s ultimate tensile strength 𝑆𝑢𝑡 . In our case, we are
analysing the AISI 1018 steel, with 𝑆𝑢𝑡 = 64 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖 (the 𝑆𝑢𝑡 would have to be given in an exam) and the
notch’s radius is 0.25 𝑖𝑛. You can see that in the graph we do not have data for more than 0.16 𝑖𝑛. However,
we can see that after 0.16 𝑖𝑛 the increase of 𝑞 for all values of 𝑆𝑢𝑡 is very slow, which means we should
use a value very close to 0.8. I will choose 0.82. It would be fine to use 0.8 for instance, as everything that
we are going to do here is a rough estimation. Again, this is a very antiquated method (from the 1950’s!)
of studying the fatigue limit of a component, any engineer today would use the finite element method to
estimate stresses and later apply a proper fatigue model to the results to estimate the life of the component.

Knowing the values of 𝐾𝑡 for the fillet and the hole; and knowing the material’s 𝑞, now it is easy to calculate
𝐾𝑓 for fillet:

𝐾𝑓−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 1 + 𝑞(𝐾𝑡−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 − 1) = 1 + 0.82(2.1 − 1) = 1.9

𝐾𝑓−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 1 + 𝑞(𝐾𝑡−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 − 1) = 1 + 0.82(2.5 − 1) = 2.28

Now we can calculate the amplitude (𝜎𝑎 ) and the mean (𝜎𝑚 ) stresses:
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 3.2 − (−12. .8)
𝜎𝑎−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 𝐾𝑓−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 1.9 ( ) = 15.2 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
2 2

𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 3.2 + (−12. .8)

𝜎𝑚−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 𝐾𝑓−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 1.9 ( ) = −9.12 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
2 2

𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 2.67 − (−10.67)

𝜎𝑎−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 𝐾𝑓−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 2.28 ( ) = 15.2 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
2 2
 𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 2.67 + (−10.67)
𝜎𝑚−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 𝐾𝑓−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 2.28 ( ) − 9.12 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
2 2

Obs: Only luckily 𝝈𝒂−𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒕 = 𝝈𝒂−𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 and 𝝈𝒎−𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒕 = 𝝈𝒎−𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆.

Step 3 – Calculate the fatigue limit (𝑆𝑒 ) of the component.

The fatigue limit of the component 𝑆𝑒 should be thought as a correction of the fatigue limit of a rotating-
beam specimen, denoted by 𝑆𝑒 ′. A long time ago, a common way of determining the fatigue limit of a
material, was to subject it to a rotating-bending test (as in the following figure). This was the only way
engineers had of knowing how long a component would last during service! The problem with this, is that
these tests will never reflect exactly the conditions of the actual component during service. The idea is to
use the correction factors 𝑘𝑎 , 𝑘𝑏 , 𝑘𝑐 , 𝑘𝑑 and 𝑘𝑒 (sometimes even 𝑘𝑓 ) to approximate the fatigue limit result
of the rotating-bending tests to what we would actually see in real life. Do not confuse these 𝑘 factors with
𝐾𝑡 and 𝐾𝑓 , as they are completely different in concept and purpose.

A rotating-bending test. The specimen is rotated with angular velocity 𝜔 while the load 𝑃 is applied. This generates a cyclic
stress through the section and eventually fatigue failure.

• 𝑆𝑒 ′= the rotating-bending specimen’s fatigue limit. It depends on the 𝑆𝑢𝑡 of your material. For
steels:

In our case, 𝑺′𝒆 = 𝟎. 𝟓𝑺𝒖𝒕 = 𝟑𝟐 𝒌𝒑𝒔𝒊

• 𝑘𝑎 = surface factor. In rougher surfaces, the likelihood of appearing a crack is greater.

𝒌𝒂 = 𝒂𝑺𝒃𝒖𝒕 =
𝟐. 𝟕𝟎(𝟔𝟒−𝟎.𝟐𝟔𝟓 ) = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟗𝟕
Because its cold-drawn
according to the instructions.

• 𝑘𝑏 = size factor. The bigger the component is, the greater is the possibility of existing a defect
within the component that will be the source of fatigue failure. Therefore, the fatigue limit is
lower in bigger components:
 In our case, 𝒌𝒃 = 𝟏

• 𝑘𝑐 = loading factor. It is different if you have bending or pure axial load, or pure torsional load.

In our case, 𝒌𝒄 = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓 (pure axial load)

• 𝑘𝑑 = temperature factor. The fatigue limit decreases with decreasing temperature! Always
consider room temperature, unless told otherwise. 𝑘𝑑 for other temperatures should be taken from
a table, such as following. In our case 𝒌𝒅 = 𝟏 for room temperature.

• 𝑘𝑒 = reliability factor. This factor takes into account statistical effects observed when you run many
fatigue tests. In other words, two specimens will rarely fail at the same amount of cycles even if
the same load is applied! The results observed during many fatigue tests fall into a normal
distribution. Therefore, when designing a component an engineer could want to be exactly 90%
sure that it will not fail, then he should use the appropriate value of 𝑘𝑒 . In our case, let’s use 𝒌𝒆 =
𝟏, which is the value for being 50% sure that the component will not fail. In practice, we are
considering an average fatigue limit after many lab tests. For any other value of reliability, use the
following equation and table:

Finally, our component’s fatigue limit is

𝑆𝑒 = 𝑆𝑒′ 𝑘𝑎 𝑘𝑏 𝑘𝑐 𝑘𝑒 = 32 × 0.897 × 1 × 0.85 × 1 = 24.4 𝑘𝑝𝑠𝑖
Step 4 - Check the safety factor. The safety factor, denoted by 𝑛, depends on which criterion you are using.
In real life, you should check what your country’s norm says, or whatever they use in your company. You
probably would be safer simply using a modern fatigue model. Always remember that this methodology is
probably older than our parents…
A safety factor lower then 1 mean that the component will fail! While if greater than 1 means otherwise.

• Modified-Goodman:

𝑆𝑎 𝑆𝑚 𝑛𝜎𝑎 𝑛𝜎𝑚 𝜎𝑎 𝜎𝑚 1
+ = + =1⇒ + =
𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑡 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑡 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑡 𝑛
𝜎𝑎 𝜎𝑚 −1
𝑛=( + )
𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑡
𝜎𝑎−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝜎𝑚−𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 −1 15.2 −9.12 −1
𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = ( + ) =( + ) = 2.08
𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑡 24.4 64
𝜎𝑎−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝜎𝑚−ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 −1 15.2 −9.12 −1
𝑛ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = ( + ) =( + ) = 2.08
𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑡 24.4 64
It will not fail according to Goodman’s criteria.

• Soderberg: (𝑆𝑦𝑡 is the yield strength)

𝑆𝑎 𝑆𝑚 𝑛𝜎𝑎 𝑛𝜎𝑚 𝜎𝑎 𝜎𝑚 1
+ = + =1⇒ + =
𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑛
−1
𝜎𝑎 𝜎𝑚
𝑛=( + )
𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑦𝑡

𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓!

𝑛ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓!

• Langer: (first yield criteria)

𝑆𝑎 𝑆𝑚 𝑛𝜎𝑎 𝑛𝜎𝑚 𝜎𝑎 𝜎𝑚 1
+ = + =1⇒ + =
𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑛
−1
𝜎𝑎 𝜎𝑚
𝑛=( + )
𝑆𝑦𝑡 𝑆𝑦𝑡

𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑡 = 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓!

𝑛ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓!
Notice that this is a very bad criteria, because fatigue failure always happens with stress levels
lower then the yield limit (𝑆𝑦𝑡 ).