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Definitions - Strain Life Analysis

Glossary
Nominal Stress Close

The nominal stress is the stress away from any local stress concentrations.

Glossary
Nominal Strain Close

The nominal strain is the strain away from any local stress concentrations.

Glossary
Stress Range, ∆S Close

The stress range, ∆S, is the peak to peak stress.

Glossary
Mean Stress, Sm Close

The mean stress, Sm, is the average value of the stresses.

Glossary
Close

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Alternating Stress, Sa
The alternating stress, Sa, is the amount the stress deviates from the mean. It is sometimes called
the stress amplitude.

Glossary
Stress Amplitude, Sa Close

The stress amplitude, Sa, is the amount the stress deviates from the mean. It is sometimes called
the alternating stress.

Glossary
Strain Amplitude Close

The strain amplitude is one half the strain range.

Glossary
Strain Range, ∆ε Close

The strain range, ∆ε, is the maximum strain minus the minimum strain in a cycle.

Glossary
Neuber's Rule Close

Neuber’s rule is used to convert an elastically computed stress or stain into the real stress or strain

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when plastic deformation occurs. For example, we may compute a stress with elastic assumptions
at a notch to be KtS and this stress exceeds the strength of the material. The real stress will be
somewhere on the materials stress-strain curve at some point σ.

Neuber’s rule states, with some mathematical proof, that the product of the elastic solution is
equal to the product of the real elastic plastic solution. Mathematically this is expressed as
KtS·Kte=σ·ε

Glossary
Strain Life Curve Close

The strain life curve is determined by testing materials in strain control. The strain range is
controlled and the corresponding stress range and fatigue life are determined. It is convenient to
consider the elastic and plastic strain amplitudes separately when curve fitting the test data. Two
data points are plotted for each test, one for the elastic strain amplitude vs life and another one for
the plastic strain amplitude vs life.

Test data is then fit to a simple power function to obtain the material constants; fatigue ductility
coefficient, ε’f , fatigue ductility exponent, c , fatigue strength coefficient, σ’f , and fatigue
strength exponent, b ,

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The total strain is then obtained by adding the elastic and plastic portions of the strain.

Glossary
Cyclic Stress-Strain Curve Close

The materials deformation during a fatigue test is measured in the form of a hysteresis loop. After
some initial transient behavior the material stabilizes and the same hysteresis loop is obtained for
every loading cycle. Each strain range tested will have a corresponding stress range that is
measured. The cyclic stress strain curve is a plot of all of this data.

The curve describes the behavior of the material after it has been plastically deformed. This
behavior is usually different than the initial behavior that is measured in a traditional tensile test.
A simple power function is fit to this curve to obtain three material properties; cyclic strength
coefficient, K’ , cyclic strain hardening exponent, n’ , and elastic modulus, E.

Glossary

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Hysteresis Loop Close

The stress-strain response of a material that is cyclically loaded is in the form of a hysteresis loop.

The hysteresis loop is often characterized by its stress range, ∆σ, and strain range, ∆ε. The strain
range is often broken up into the elastic part and the plastic part.

Glossary
Stress Concentration Factor, Kt Close

Stress concentrations arise from any abrupt change in the geometry of a part under load. As a
result, the stress distribution is not uniform throughout the cross-section.

For example, is often necessary to drill a hole in a plate. When a load, P, is applied, the presence
of the hole disturbs the uniform nominal stress in the plate.

The profile of the stress in the cross-section through the center of the hole has the form shown in
bottom of the figure. Notice that the maximum stress, σmax, is 3σ and occurs at the edge of the
hole. The factor of 3 is known as the stress concentration factor, Kt. It can be seen from the figure
that any stress values larger than σ are localized in a region with a diameter approximately equal
to D.

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Glossary
Fatigue Notch Factor, Kf Close

Experiments have shown that the effect of small notches is less than that estimated from the
traditional stress concentration factor, Kt. The fatigue notch factor, Kf, can be thought of as the
effective stress concentration in fatigue. It depends on the size of the stress concentration and the
material. Small stress concentrations are more effective in high strength materials. This effect is
dealt with using a notch sensitivity factor, q.

Kf = 1 + (Kt - 1)q

The notch sensitivity factor q is an empirically determined constant that depends on the notch
radius and material strength.

Glossary
Ultimate Strength, Su Close

The ultimate strength, Su, is also called the tensile strength. It is the maximum stress reached in
an engineering stress strain diagram.

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