INVESTIGATION OF FATIGUE METHODOLOGY

Because of wide differences in Fatigue Methodologies employed by various Army contractors, government analysts cannot make design comparisons on a common basis. The inability to make comparisons results from the lack of a uniform baseline which can be used to judge the suitability of fatigue life calculations. This problem can be resolved by the development of a standardized approach to fatigue analysis which is acceptable to both the Government and manufacturers. This paper presents the results of a study that evaluated the influence of key parameters in component fatigue life calculation and identified the critical elements and combinations of elements of the problem. This evaluation was accomplished with the aid of an analytical technique called Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The technique is described along with the results of the study. The program began with an industry survey of the state-of-the-art and extensive literature research to establish the range of parameters to be considered.