A Reliability Based Fatigue Damage Theory for Safe Design

Abstract

A reasonably safe reliability approach to a fatigue damage theory can be based on the fact that, in most cases involving the public safety, the designer can accept only very low probabilities of failure by fatigue. Thus we must be almost exclusively concerned with the lower left-hand tails of the associated distribution functions. An approach to damage theory is presented based on this concept and its possible utility reviewed. The Weibull distribution is utilized with three parameters. Suggestions are made as to needed fatigue testing.