An Efficient Method for Strain Fatigue Reliability

Analysis
Qin Liu

Yunpeng Qian, Dan Wang

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Automation

Northeastern University
Shenyang, 110004, China
qinlow@126.com

North China System Engineering Institute

CNGC
Beijing, 100089, China

Zhili Sun
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Automation
Northeastern University
Shenyang, 110004, China

AbstractBased on Manson-Coffin Equation, a strain fatigue

reliability model was built. Because of high nonlinear degree,
the first-order reliability method has convergence difficulty
for the model. An efficient iterative algorithm for strain
fatigue reliability is proposed by using automatic step
adjustment method etc., and the numerical results show that
the proposed method has a good convergence compared with
FORM.

Usually, the life model of low fatigue structure is built

by Coffin-Manson equation, which is highly non-linear.
The convergence for solving reliability degree of strain
fatigue structure by using convention reliability way such
as first-order reliability method (FORM) is slow or difficult.
Considering the features of strain fatigue life, an efficient
and steady iterative algorithm for strain fatigue reliability is
proposed by using some optimization methods.
II.

Keywordsstrain fatigue; reliability; iterative algorithm;

automatic step adjustment

I.

STRAIN FATIGUE ANALYSIS

The structure life data can be expressed by Morrow

correction equation based on Coffin-Manson equation.

INTRODUCTION

f m
=
(2 N )b + f (2 N )c
E
2

Low cycle fatigue is one of the most common

mechanisms for mechanic product fatigue fracture. It is
usual that the structure failed by low cycle fatigue is the
key component of mechanic product, so that the products
reliability and durability are mainly affected. Generally, to
a structure being subjected to cycle load, most is in the
range of elastic response, only local dangerous area is in
the range of plastic because of large stress status, and the
strain intensity in the local area determine structure life [1].
Therefore, engineers consider that local strain is one of
most main parameters for low cycle fatigue analysis, and
low cycle fatigue is also called strain fatigue. As
experience shows, structure life can be several times in
case of a 10% deviation to strain [2]. However, the local
strain is largely speculative because there are random loads,
random material performance, and random size in structure.
So, the structure reliability analysis considering random
factors is a hot research area.

978-1-61284-666-8/11$26.00

2011 IEEE

(1)

Where is total strain range, which can be evaluated by

test, engineering approximation and finite element
methods. m is mean stress of stress cycle, E is Youngs
modulus, f , f , b, c are the fatigue strength
coefficient, fatigue ductility coefficient, fatigue strength
exponent and fatigue ductility for material, respectively.
Finally, N is the number of cycles to failure.
Neuber method is an engineering approximation
method for evaluating local strain in common use. This
method mainly uses two relational expressions:
stress-strain hysteresis loop expression and Neuber
equation. The stress-strain hysteresis loop expression is:

129


=
+

2
2E 2K

In order to solve the reliability degree of strain fatigue

structure, the limit state function is developed based on the
theory of structural reliability design.

1 / n

(2)

Where is local strain range, n and K are cycle

harden index and cycle intensity index for material. And a
modified Neuber equation is:

(K

S )

Z H ( x1 , x 2 , x3 , x 4 , x5 , x6 , x7 , x8 , x9 ) Ng
In that way, reliability degree R expresses as:
R P{Z > 0}

(3)

P{H(x1 , x2 , x3 , x4 , x5 , x6 , x7 , x8 , x9 ) N g > 0} (7)

Where S is nominal stress range, Kf is notch coefficient.

Eliminating in the simultaneous equations: Eq. (2),
Eq. (3), a new equation named F function is appeared.

IV.

1 / n

K f S 2
2

11 / n

+
2

E2

=0 (4)

For m=/2, eliminating , m in the simultaneous

equations: Eq. (1), Eq. (2), a new equation named G
function is appeared.

G (E , f , f , c, b, m , , N )

f
E

(2N )

(K

S )

2E
2

RELIABILITY DEGREE SOLVING

Generally, structural reliability theory provides many

methods such as FORM, second-order reliability method
(SORM) [3] etc. to get reliability degree. In FORM, means
and standard deviations, which are the first and second
moments of random variables, are considered and the
complicated limit state surface is replaced by a
hyper-plane in the standard normal space. Since the
probability density in the standard normal space decays
exponentially with distance from the origin, the optimal
point on the limit state surface for fitting the
approximating surface is the point of minimum distance to
the origin. This point is called the most probable point
(MPP) or design point and its distance, i.e. the minimum
distance, from the origin is the reliability index [4]. When
the limit state surface is high non-linear, see Fig. 1, it is
difficult to choose a suitable step for finding MPP.
However, the H function in this paper is a high non-linear
equation.

F(E , K f , S , K , n , )

K f 2 S 2

2
2EK

(6)

(2N )b + f (2N )c =0 (5)

2

In the same way, eliminating in the simultaneous

equations: Eq. (4), Eq. (5), the concealed relation between
the number of cycles to failure and every parameter will be
expressed by H function, viz.
N= H

(E, K

III.

, S , K , n , f , f , c, b ) .

STRAIN FATIGUE RELIABILITY MODEL

The stress-strain hysteresis loop expression, Neuber

equation and Coffin-Manson equation are uncertain,
because E, Kf, S,

Figure 1. Illustration of the iteration process for solving reliability

degree

K , n , f , f , c, b are random

variables. For the sake of convenience, these random

The nonlinearity of strain fatigue limit status equation

should be taken into account, by reading a large number of
references about structure reliability algorithms [5~7], an
efficient algorithm for strain fatigue reliability analysis is

variables are uniformly expressed by x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x6, x7,
x8, x9, so N= H ( x1 , x 2 , x3 , x 4 , x5 , x6 , x7 , x8 , x9 ) .

130

proposed base on analyzing the influence of iterative step.

The algorithm consists of the following steps:

6) If

1) Transform the original random variable vector to a

standard normal vector;

x ( k +1) x ( k )

< , is the prescribed

acceptable error limit, stop the iterative and

2) Set k=0 and choose an initial point x for random

variables, for example, set mean value of every variable,
and initial step length 50 (recommend 1~10 of
mean value ), and adjusting coefficient c for step length,
c=1.2~1.5;

( k +1)

is the

(0)

strain fatigue index, otherwise, go next step;

7) If k=0, set k= k+1, repeat 3) ~ 6), otherwise, compare

x ( k +1) x ( k )

3) Calculate the direction cosine vector of the limit

state surface from Eq. (8);

xi( k )

Xi( k +1) =

greater, adjust=/c, and set k= k+1, return to 3).

( )

V.

Z x ( k )
xi

( )

(i = 1,2,,9)

value of nominal stress is Smax=400MPa, and the minimum

value is Smin=-200MPa. Set the notch coefficient Kf = 1.5,

in accordance with shape dimension of the axle. The
material is steel Q235A, and some parameters are as

(8)

follows: E=192000MPa,

Where Z / xi can be defined by Eq. (9), also be

numerically solved with difference method.

F F

xi
G
N

( k +1)

( )

( )

axle after suffering 104 cycles load.

Three methods, Monte Carlo Method (MCM), FORM

and the method in this paper, are used to solve the
reliability degree of axle. Table I lists some information of
solving process and results. Comparing these data, it is
easy to find that the method in this paper is an efficient and
robust method.

(9)

TABLE I.

(i = 1,2,,9)

RELIABILITY DEGREE RESULTS FOR 3 METHODS

Method

(10)

Iteration
times

Reliability
degree

Remarks

MCM

10000

0.9912

FORM

100

No convergence

New method

0.9904

VI.

5) Calculate limit point vector x from Eq. (11);

xi( k +1) = Xi( k +1) ( k +1)

=935.9MPa, c=-0.47, b=-0.095. The

other variables is 0.03. Calculate the reliability degree of

( )

Z x ( k ) ( k )
xi
Z x
xi
i =1
=
(k )
9
( k +1) Z x

Xi
xi
i =1
9

hysteresis loop is ignored, and the variation coefficient of

4) Calculate reliability index from Eq. (10);

(k )

=0.26,

K =1125.9MPa, n =0.193,

dispersion of material parameter E and stress-strain

G G
+

Z
xi xi

G
xi
N

G G
+
xi

EXAMPLE

An axle works under cyclic loading, the maximum

(k )
Z x ( k )

xi
j =1
9

x ( k ) x ( k 1) , if the former is

and

CONCLUSIONS

For strain fatigue reliability model is highly nonlinear,

FORM, which is used to calculate the reliability index in
reliability analysis, may fail to converge, one of the prime
reasons is that selected iterative step is not proper. In this
paper, an easy iterative method, which introduces
automatic step adjustment to speed up the convergence of
iterative process, is proposed. Through an example, it is

(11)

131

REFERENCES

show that the method is efficient and accurate to get the

strain fatigue reliability degree.

[1]
[2]

Above analytical process and example, input load data

is constant amplitude loading. If load data is block
spectrum, the probabilistic damage of every level load need
to calculate before building strain fatigue reliability model,
then all damage may be added according to fatigue damage
accumulation theory. Another way, using statistic theory,
load data can be processed to constant amplitude loading,
which obeys a kind of distribution.

[3]
[4]
[5]

[6]

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
[7]

The work was supported by National Defense Basic

Scientific Research Project of China (No D0920060310),
which is gratefully acknowledged by the authors.

132

H. Xu. Fatigue IntensityBeijing: Higher Education Press,198

W. X. Yao. Fatigue Life Prediction of Structures. Beijing: National
Defense Industry Press, 2003
L. Q. Li. Mechanic Reliability Design and Analysis. Beijing:
National Defense Industry Press, 1998
Hasofer AM, Lind NC. Exact and invariant second moment code
format. J Eng Mech Division ASCE 100:111121
Q. Qin, D. J. Lin, G. Mei. Theory and Applications - Reliability
Stochastic Finite Element Methods. Beijing :Qinghua University
Press, 2006
J. X. Gong, P. Yi. A Robust Iterative Algorithm for Structural
Reliability Analysis. Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization,
Published online, 31 October 2010.
Aldebenito M A, Schuller G I. A Survey on Approaches for
Reliability-based Optimization. Structural and Multidisciplinary
Optimization, 2010, 42(5):645-663.