Strain-Cycle Fatigue of Sheet and Plate Steels I: Test Method Development and Data Presentation

A method was developed for performing strain-controlled fatigue tests on steel specimens with thickness <0.1 inch. Data generated using this method were found to be consistent with published results for steels of similar strength and thickness. Geometric variables, i.e., gage section width and area, gage length, etc., have little effect on valid fatigue results (excluding buckling, excessive bending, and out-of-gage length failures). However, increased gage length or specimen width increase the likelihood of invalid results.