Statistical analysis of data from truncated fatigue life and corresponding residual strength experiments for polymer matrix composites

Abstract A statistical analysis method for the evaluation of data from truncated fatigue life experiments and corresponding residual strength tests of polymer matrix composites is presented. This method is based on the conclusion that under a given fatigue stress S0 the conditional probability of specimen survival at a given fatigue life N0 is equal to the conditional probability that the residual strength of specimens at the fatigue life N0 is greater than S0. This conclusion is deduced from the assumption that for a given specimen, the residual strength decreases monotonously as the fatigue life increases. Some experimental data are applied to demonstrate the analytical ability of the analysis method from which satisfactory results have been obtained.