Multiaxial fatigue life prediction model considering stress gradient and size effect

Stress gradient effect (SGE) and notch size effect (NSE) have important influences on the fatigue performance of engineering components. In this paper, a new multiaxial fatigue life prediction model is developed by considering the effects of both. Firstly, with the help of the coordinate transformation principle (CTP), the location of the dangerous critical plane is found according to the energy-critical plane (ECP) method, and the equivalent stress gradient factor (SGF) within the fatigue damage zone is calculated by analyzing the equivalent stress distribution on the critical plane. Secondly, considering the size of the notch, the effect of stress concentration at the notch is analyzed. Meanwhile, a size influence factor is introduced to characterize the NSE and construct a new fatigue strength reduction factor. Further, combining with the Manson-Coffin equation (MC equation), a new fatigue life prediction model for multiaxial notched components is proposed by considering SGE and NSE on fatigue damage. Finally, the experimental data of fatigue specimens with different notch sizes processed by En8 and GH4169 materials are used for model validation and comparison with other three classical models, and the results show that the prediction life of the new model for proportional and non-proportional loads is within two-fold dispersion band and the prediction ability is better than the other three classical models. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd