Residual Strength of Structural Components Subjected to Cyclic Loads

Abstract

Present methods of fatigue research tend to concentrate on predicting the endurance of the structural component when it is subjected to a combination of cyclic loads. This has led to methods of design that assume the strength of the component is independent of the applied cyclic loads and that are therefore of limited use in assessing the remaining performance of an existing structure. It is suggested that design is more concerned with predicting the strength of a structure after a period of cyclic loading, which is the converse of present fatigue design techniques. A design procedure has therefore been proposed that places the emphasis on predicting the strength of a structural component after it has been subjected to cyclic loading. In this new design procedure, the strength of a structure has been linked to the fatigue loads so that this procedure can also be used in the analysis mode to estimate the residual strength and residual endurance of an existing structure.