HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION UNDER RANDOM AND CONSTANT AMPLITUDE LOADINGS

Abstract This paper essentially summarises work carried out during the period 1963–1973 into the constant and random amplitude fatigue crack propagation performance of a mild steel at ambient temperature. Conventional fracture mechanics parameters are shown to describe the process of propagation under a variety of mean stress intensity conditions. Calculations of random amplitude propagation using ‘laws’ determined from the constant amplitude data are shown to be in agreement with experimental results. This agreement of calculation and experiment gives confidence in the use of these calculation principles for reactor applications outside direct experimentation.