Prediction of crack initiation live under an aeronautical spectrum for a notched specimen

摘要

This paper addresses scatter in fatigue life to initiate a crack at the tip of a notch subjected to spectrum loading. Conventional life prediction methods and a short crack approach are studied. The parameters considered are: material constants, the notch stress concentration factor, and variations in loads in the spectrum and initial and final crack sizes. Comparison between the predicted lives and experimental data shows that changes in the order of 2% can lead cumulatively to a scatter in predicted lives in the same order as the experimental data.