Periodic overloads and random fatigue behavior

The occurrence of occasional high amplitude strain cycles in an otherwise stationary random strain time history considerably reduces the fatigue life of mild steel specimens. The acceleration of damage is shown to occur throughout the cyclic damage process. The significance of this effect in terms of fatigue in railway vehicles is emphasized. The results of overload studies are often confusing because of the influence of induced residual stresses. In this work, care was given to ensure that no such effects occurred.