Stress and Fatigue Analyses of Notched Shafts

An elastic-plastic stress analysis was conducted using the finite element method for notched shafts subjected to cyclic axial, torsion, and combined axial-torsion loading. A new cyclic plasticity model capable of accurately describing cyclic material behavior was implemented into the finite element code. The notch root strains predicted were in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. The stress and strain results from the finite element analysis were then used in fatigue life predictions of the notched specimens and good correlation were found between predicted lives and experimental observations. The model provides an accurate and reliable prediction of cyclic stresses and strains for the fatigue analysis of notched members.