Multiaxial Fatigue Life Predictions

AH Fatemi Under the Influence of

Assistant Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Toledo,
Toledo, OH 43606
Assoc. Mem. ASME
Peter Kurath
Research Associate,
Department of Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Urbana, IL 61801
Mean-Stresses
Two materials, an Inconel 718 and a 1045 steel, are used to verify the extension of a
shear strain-based parameter developed to account for out-of-phase cyclic strain
hardening to multiaxial mean-stresses. Shear strain amplitude on the maximum
shear strain amplitude plane and the maximum stress normal to this plane are the
nominal stress-strain parameters considered in this approach. Tension-torsion and
axial-internal pressure loadings using tubular specimens are employed to investigate
stress-strain states that exhibit mean-strains and/or mean-stresses. Deformation
response relevant to the proposed fatigue damage algorithm such as mean-stress
relaxation is discussed. Adequate fatigue life correlations are obtained by imple-
menting the proposed analysis. It is also demonstrated that methodologies suc-
cessful for correlating uniaxial mean-stress data often lead to erroneous multiaxial
life predictions.

Introduction
Fatigue failures are considered to be a common type of
failure mode observed in mechanical components and struc-
tures. For many decades, research dealing with fatigue
damage has focused on uniaxially loaded specimens. This
research has resulted in a considerable wealth of uniaxial test
data which is incorporated into analytical fatigue life predic-
tion techniques. The majority of components and structures in
service however, are generally subjected to multiaxial cyclic
loading conditions resulting in biaxial/triaxial states of stress.
Pressure vessels, turbine blades, drive shafts, crankshafts and
axles are common examples. To predict fatigue life of such
components and structures using laboratory test data, a
suitable multiaxial fatigue theory or criterion is required in
order to relate complex multiaxial stress states to laboratory
data. Presently, large factors of safety are often employed to
account for uncertainties in fatigue life estimation procedures.
Several recent review papers exist on multiaxial fatigue
theories [1-3]. The traditional approach has been to extend the
use of classical multiaxial "yield criteria" as multiaxial stress-
based fatigue theories. The most common of these theories are
the maximum shear stress, or Tresca, and the octahedral shear
stress, or von Mises. Since strain-based approaches have
rendered more satisfactory results for uniaxial low-cycle
fatigue, the stress-based "yield criteria" are often converted
to a strain format for multiaxial low-cycle fatigue. In a recent
study [4] it was shown that the use of von Mises criterion
results in a much better multiaxial fatigue life prediction than
that of Tresca for a normalized 1045 steel under combined
axial-torsional loading situations.
Contributed by the Materials Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF
ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received
Materials Division September 8, 1987.
More recent approaches give a physical interpretation of the
fatigue damage process and define a critical plane on which
fatigue cracks initiate and grow. In addition to life estimates,
these theories also predict an orientation (i.e., critical plane)
where dominant fatigue damage should occur. Brown and
Miller [3] propose that cracks initiate on the maximum shear
plane and therefore suggest that the critical parameters gov-
erning fatigue life are the maximum shear strain and the strain
normal to the plane of maximum shear strain. Kandil, Brown,
and Miller [5] suggest a convenient expression for this
hypothesis for a given fatigue life, expressed as:
Tmax+'5e„= constant, (1)
where S denotes an empirical constant found by fitting the ful-
ly reversed torsion data (e„ = 0) to the fully reversed uniaxial
data, (e„ =Ae„(l — v*)/4). This is analogous to Mohr's
hypothesis of shear stress and normal stress formulated for
high-cycle fatigue.
When the multiaxial strains are out-of-phase, it has been
shown that the resulting fatigue lives are often shorter than
those for similar in-phase strains in the low-cycle regime [4, 6,
7]. Both the Tresca and von Mises criteria generally result in
nonconservative fatigue life estimates for such loading condi-
tions [3, 4, 6, 8]. Under out-of-phase or nonproportional
loading situations, the principal stress and strain axes rotate
during fatigue loading, often causing additional cyclic harden-
ing of the material [9]. The reason that low-cycle out-of-phase
loading is more damaging than low-cycle In-Phase loading is
attributed to this additional cyclic hardening. Brown and
Miller's critical plane approach [3] cannot accommodate this
additional cyclic hardening since both the parameters are in
terms of strain. A new formulation of this critical shear strain
by the
plane approach was proposed by Fatemi and Socie [10], which
is mathematically expressed for a given fatigue life as:

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 ^7n
- ( l + k — - — ) = constant.
Here <r™ax is the maximum normal stress on the maximum
shear strain plane which has been divided by the yield strength
of the material in order to preserve the dimensionless feature
of strain. The constant k in this parameter is a material-
dependent constant and is found in the same manner as the
constant in Kandil, Brown, and Miller's parameter (equation
1). In addition to accounting for the extra cyclic hardening in
out-of-phase loading through the normal stress term, the
mathematical form of this parameter is such that normal static
loads on the maximum shear plane do not cause fatigue
damage if there is no alternation of shear strain. This is consis-
tent with the physical interpretation of the damage process be-
ing shear strain controlled.
Even though mean-stresses can have a substantial influence
on fatigue behavior, by far the greatest proportion of fatigue
data available consists of fully reversed uniaxial tests.
Historically, the concentration of mean-stress studies has been
on uniaxial loading and in the high-cycle regime using the
traditional stress-life approach. The modified Goodman
diagram [11] is still commonly used to predict fatigue life of
uniaxially loaded members in the presence of mean-stresses. In
the low-cycle regime involving uniaxial strain-life data, the
most commonly used methods to include mean-stress or mean-
strain effects in fatigue life prediction of uniaxially loaded
members are those proposed by Morrow [12] and Smith et al.
[13].
Findley [14, 15] did some early research on how mean-stress
affects multiaxial fatigue behavior. He studied the effect of
mean-stress on fatigue behavior under combined torsion and
axial load or bending, mainly in the high-cycle regime. He pro-
posed that the alternating shear stress is the primary cause of
fatigue with the normal stress on the critical shear plane hav-
ing a linear influence on the allowable alternating shear stress.
Socie et al. [16, 17] in their mean-stress effect study of Inconel
718 involving combinations of tension and torsion, also took
the mean-stress effect to be linear. They modified the Kandil,
Brown, and Miller critical plane formulation in terms of
plastic shear strain to account for this effect by adding a term
with mean-stress normal to the maximum shear strain plane
divided by the elastic modulus. They later formulated this in
terms of total strain [18]:
A initiation and growth of cracks. For axial-internal pressure
7max /2 + Ae„/2 + ano/E = constant. (3)
The main concentration of the present work is on the mean-
stress/strain influence on multiaxial fatigue life in both the
low-cycle and high-cycle regimes. It is argued that the pro-
posed model (equation (2)) can account for mean-stress effects
(2) since: cr,fax = a" + a™ where of, and a"' are the alternating and
the mean components of the stress normal to the maximum
shear strain plane respectively. A wide variety of strain states
involving axial, torsional, combined axial-torsional, and com-
bined axial-internal pressure loadings are evaluated with
tubular specimens made of a mild steel (1045 hot rolled) and a
superalloy (Inconel 718). In addition to life predictions, the
cyclic deformation aspects relevant to mean-stresses are also
studied.
Experimental Program
Two materials were used in this study. One was hot-rolled
1045 steel in the normalized condition with a microstructure
consisting of fine grained pearlite and ferrite (35-40 /im) which
contained up to 0.1 mm long sulfide inclusions in the rolling
direction. The other material was Inconel 718 cut from a
forged ring purchased to aerospace material specifications,
AMS 5663. The variation of grain size observed for this
material ranged from 10 to 200 yxa. Chemical compositions of
both materials are given in Table 1. Monotonic and cyclic pro-
perties are summarized in Table 2. To check anisotropy in
either material, standard low-cycle fatigue specimens were cut
from both the longitudinal and the tangential directions [17,
19]. The inclusions in the 1045 steel resulted in reduction of
fatigue life by a factor of 2 to 3 in the specimens cut in the
tangential direction as compared with those cut in the
longitudinal direction. Anisotropy effects for the Inconel 718
were insignificant.
Tubular specimens [16] were used for all biaxial tests. The
interior of each specimen was honed to a surface finish of 75
^mm, and the outer surface was polished by successively finer
grit with final polishing done using 13 ^mm alumina. Stan-
dard machine collets were used to grip the ends of each
specimen.
All biaxial tests were conducted on servo-controlled closed-
loop systems with processor/interface for computer control,
data acquisition, and data reduction of test results. One
machine was used for axial-torsional tests and another for
axial-internal pressure tests. An internal biaxial extensometer
[16] was used with the axial-torsional tests which allowed con-
trol of axial and torsional strains, while the outside surface of
the specimen could easily be replicated in order to monitor the
tests, an axial clip-on extensometer was attached to the
specimen surface for axial strain control and removed for
replication. Hysteresis loops recorded before and after replica-
tion were almost identical in either axial-torsional or axial-

b,bQ = uniaxial, torsional

fatigue strength Of,7J = uniaxial, torsional
exponent Ay/2 = torsional strain fatigue strength
c
>c0 = uniaxial, torsional amplitude coefficient
fatigue ductility Ae„/2 = axial strain amplitude oh Kj = hoop stress on inner
exponent e
/> 7/ = uniaxial, torsional surface of tube
£,G = axial, shear elastic fatigue ductility om = mean axial stress
modulus coefficient a
no = mean normal stress on
k = biaxial material t„ = strain normal to A7 max a 7max Plane
property plane Oy = yield strength
= cycles to failure Ae,/2 = maximum principal — max
N, = maximum normal stress
Pi = internal pressure strain amplitude on Aymax plane
= axial, torsional strain A<7„/2 = axial stress amplitude — max
R^R-y °1 = maximum principal
ratio; minimum Ar/2 = torsional stress stress
strain/maximum strain amplitude ?m = mean torsional stress
A
7 ma x/2 = maximum shear strain X = tension-torsion biaxial V*,VE,VP = effective, elastic, and
amplitude strain ratio, A7/Ae plastic Poisson's ratio

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 Table 1 Chemical composition of steels used (wt., %)
Steel Al Ti Nb + Ta Ni Cr Mo Fe
IN 718 0.54 1.01 5.03 52.12 18.23 2.89 19.48
1045 HR 0.05 0.002 0.008 0.03 0.05 bal
C Mn P S Si Cu V Co
IN 718 0.034 0.09 0.007 0.001 0.06 0.05 0.28
1045 HR 0.44 0.70 0.019 0.046 0.23 0.03 o.oo"l

Table 2 Mechanical properties

Monotonic Properties IN 718 [18,29] 1045 HR [22]

Yield strength (0.2 percent), ay 1160 MPa 380 MPa
True fracture strength, oy 1850 MPa 985 MPa
True fracture strain, tj 0.33 0.71
Percent reduction in area, % RA 28 50
Strength coefficient, K 1910 MPa 1185 MPa
Strain hardening exponent, n 0.08 0.23
Modulus of elasticity, E 209 GPa 204 GPa
Shear modulus, G 77.8 GPa 80.3 GPa
Axial Cyclic Properties*
Cyclic strength coefficient, K' 1564 MPa 1258 MPa
Cyclic strain hardening exponent, n' 0.0681 0.208
Fatigue strength coefficient, of 3950 MPa 948 MPa
Fatigue strength exponent b -0.151 -0.092
Fatigue ductility coefficient, t'j 1.50 0.260
Fatigue ductility exponent, c -0.761 -0.445
Torsional Cyclic Properties**
Cyclic strength coefficient, Kg 860 MPa 614 MPa
Cyclic strain hardening exponent, «Q 0.079 0.217
Fatigue strength coefficient, rj- 2146 MPa 505 MPa
Fatigue strength exponent, b0 -0.148 -0.097
Fatigue ductility coefficient, yj 18.0 0.413
Fatigue ductility exponent, c0 - 0.922 -0.445

•Solid round low cycle fatigue specimens.

*'Tubular specimens.

internal pressure tests, indicating that rest periods or exten- Multiaxial Loading Paths
someter removal and remounting did not influence the results. Y E • Y
The mean stress/strain loading histories employed for both
materials are shown in Fig. 1. Biaxial loading histories F, G,
and P are proportional while the load paths H through L, S,
and T are nonproportional. For proportional loadings, the
./L
directions of principal stresses and strains remain fixed with
regard to the specimen axis throughout a cycle, while for non-
proportional loadings they change. A sinusoidal wave-form "Y
with frequency ranging between 0.1 and 3.5 Hz was used for
all testing. This variation should not inhibit deformation or
fatigue life comparisons between tests since neither of these
materials display a high sensitivity to strain rate at room
temperature. Completely reversed in-phase and 90 degree out-
of-phase axial-torsional data for 1045 HR steel are reported in
references [19 and 4]. The fatigue data for Inconel 718 using •> Y

strain histories D through J and completely reversed data

(histories A and C) are compiled in references [16-18].
Histories A and C are completely reversed axial loading and
combined loading (X = V5), respectively.
Tables 3 and 4 contain data not previously published for In-
conel 718 and 1045 steel. In torsional and axial-torsional tests, x>h
T
the maximum shear strain occurs on the outer surface of the
specimen, where fatigue damage is assumed to originate. A
Outer surface shear strain values are reported in Table 3,
which are linearly related to the mid-thickness control values. e
The mid-thickness shear stresses were converted to outer sur-
face stresses using techniques reported in reference [17]. Axial
stresses and strains are constant through the gauge section of Note change in axis label for paths S and T

the test specimen and no conversion was necessary. For axial- Fig. 1 Mult/axial loading paths

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 Table 3 Tension-torsion test results
Path Spec. A Ae a /2 Rc A 7 /2 R
y Aa„V2 a
m* ArV2 T * TV,
Code I.D.t °r(e m ) (MPa) (MPa) (MPa) (MPa) (cycles)
E 45A7 00 - - 0.00391 0 _ _ 160 0 111,400
F 45C1 2 0.00099 0 0.00191 0 151 0 105 0 > 1,336,000
K 45C4 00 (0.00123) — 0.00664 -1 0 0 185 0 13,820
P 45A6 1 0.00191 0.75 0.00212 0.75 224 32 85 6 40,380
P 45B4 1 0.00141 0.75 0.00152 0.75 194 34 82 7 171,300
P 45B3 2 0.00099 0.75 0.00208 0.75 142 27 103 16 > 257,000
S 45C2 00 (>0.02) — 0.00384 -1 0 90 152 0 85,320
S 45D5 00 ( < 0.005) — 0.00253 -1 0 70 131 0 > 806,200

K INA36 00 (0.0010) _ 0.0086 -1 0 108 504 -42 8,370

K INA34 00 (0.0010) - 0.0086 -1 0 63 505 -4 10,900
K INA11 00 (0.0015) - 0.0038 -1 0 335 287 -10 58,700
L INA31 00 (-0.0010) - 0.0086 -1 0 -172 507 0 8,000
L INA33 oo (-0.0010) - 0.0086 -1 0 -161 513 0 13,100
L INA19 oo (-0.0015) 0.0038 -1 0 -329 274 -33 590,000

* Half life values.

X 45XX denotes 1045 steel, INAYY denotes IN 718.

Table 4 Tension-tension test results

Path Spec. Ae„/2 R. Aa„*/2 a
m* Pi a
h [r, N
f
Code I.D4 (MPa) (MPa) (MPa) (MPa) (cycles)
T 45C5 0.0022 -1 328 82 51 276.0 >6,000
T 45D3 0.0015 -1 230 43 34.5 168.2 211,837
T 45C6 0.0022 -1 300 65 34.5 182.0 21,712

T INA04 0.005 -1 978 36.7 91.1 615.9 3,654

T INA17 0.005 -1 992 37.1 91.1 621.0 3,293
T INA05 0.005 -1 941 20.0 48.3 329.3 6,735
T INA13 0.005 -1 955 16.5 48.3 329.8 7,221
T INA12 ** -1 514 0 89.6 611.6 142,100
T INA23 ** -1 514 0 89.6 598.1 165,100

* Half Life Values.

** Load Control Test.
t 45XX Denotes 1045 Steel, INAYY Denotes IN 718.

internal pressure tests, the maximum hoop strain is at the in- 0.1
ner surface, and inside wall hoop stresses reported in Table 4 A Path D,F, G, J (Axial Mean)
• Path A,C, (Fully Reversed)
were estimated employing elastic equation for thick-walled a Path E, H, I (Torsional Mean)
cylinders. All stress values in Tables 3 and 4 are "steady- v Path K, L (Static Axial Mean)
—Torsional Data, R=-l
state" values obtained at approximately the half-life. Half-life t> a-
values were employed in all fatigue damage analysis.
Failure was defined as a 10 percent axial load drop from the b
* 0.01
previous logarithmic interval of data acquisition for any axial-
torsional test with a cyclic axial loading. A similar definition
based on torque drop was applied for torsion-only histories or
torsional histories with static axial stress or strain. A. failure
IN-718 Tension-Torsion Data
definition based on a decrease in load carrying capacity may K = 1.0
be superior to that based on a specific crack size since the
number of cracks as well as their length, depth and stage of oc- _ i ' < ' ' ' ' _j i_j ' ' ' ' '' _i—1 ' ' ' ''

currence in life may be quite different under different strain 104 10 5 ID6
N f , Cycles
states (i.e., tension compared to torsion). For tests with inter-
nal pressure (path T), a pressure drop due to fluid leakage Fig. 2 Correlation of the Inconel 718 axial-torsional data using the pro-
caused by wall thickness penetration of a fatigue crack was the posed parameter (solid symbols are the fully reversed data, paths A and
C)
failure definition used.

Damage Orientation and Life Predictions
Crack nucleation and growth directions are often assumed
to be representative of fatigue damage mechanisms. Previous
fully reversed tension-torsion crack growth studies for Inconel
718 [16] and 1045 steel [10, 20] indicate that implementation
of a shear-based damage parameter is appropriate for these
materials in laboratory air. Shear crack formation and growth
were also typical of the biaxial strain histories under con-
sideration. Details of the cracking characteristics for these
tests will be the subject of a concurrent publication [21].
Figures 2 and 3 show correlation of the fully reversed
tension-torsion data using the proposed shear-based
parameter (equation (2)) for Inconel 718 and 1045 steel,

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 0.1 | 1 "1 !""! II I i i ' /
o X=0 ] Tubular Data -. /
A \ = 0,5D .
R = 4
o\ = 1.0
v X = 2.0 J
—Torsionol Data, R=-l
K g C37
- o/

—ct°A V V

- ^^^c^E^go
1045 Sleel Tension -Torsion Data
K = 0.6, X = A / / A e
" T i — a * -- Q -''/ 7 ^Baseline Data
r-"" / -
1 i i i i ii II - / 1045 Steel
10 3 1C
Nf, Cycles
Fig. 3 Correlation of the fully reversed 1045 steel axial-torsional data o I I i t

using the proposed parameter \0^ 10 J 10D 10 b 10'

N (cycles)

Fig. 4 Variation of the biaxial constant, k, with life

respectively. Other tension-torsion data are included in Fig. 2

to facilitate a subsequent comparison to an alternate damage
parameter. Fully reversed torsional data has been selected for
use as baseline data (i.e., solid line in Figs. 2, 3). This may
seem restrictive considering the wealth of uniaxial data, but it
seems physically appropriate to employ a shear deformation
dominated test (i.e., o-,™ax =0) to establish baseline data for a
shear-based damage parameter. Hence, equation 2 may now
be formulated in the traditional strain-life format as follows:

max \ _'
(
n
A7„
1 + * ^ - ) =7/(2ty)c°+-g-(2ty)\
It should be noted that all three critical shear plane approaches
(equations (1), (2), and (3)) are identical for torsional baseline
data.
Researchers have attempted to obtain torsional strain-life
constants from uniaxial test data [22]. The resulting estimates,
while rendering a first order approximation of the torsional
properties, often result in an order of magnitude difference in
predicted fatigue life. Appendix 1 contains a derivation where
equation (2) is related to uniaxial strain-life constants.
However, torsional data is still required to calculate the con-
stant k.
The representative value of the constant k was taken to be
0.6 for 1045 steel and 1.0 for Inconel 718. For 1045 steel, com-
parison of completely reversed uniaxial and torsional data
based only on maximum shear strain amplitude indicates that
the two data sets converge at shorter fatigue lives (i.e., 103
cycles), while they progressively diverge with increasing
fatigue life. This suggests that the secondary stress or strain
term normal to the maximum shear strain amplitude plane
(i.e., e„ in equation (1) and <r™ax in equation (2)) becomes more
important at longer fatigue lives. This is illustrated in Fig. 4
where the constant k is calculated at various fatigue lives
employing baseline fully reversed uniaxial and torsional data
constants (i.e., combining equation (A.6), Appendix 1 and
equation (4)). The value of /c = 0.6 for 1045 steel was taken at
approximately half of the life range under consideration (103
to 106 cycles). It should be noted that axial cyclic constants
used to determine k were those obtained from tubular
specimens [23]. The choice of these values rather than those in
Table 2 eliminates size, geometry, failure definition, and sur-
face finish effects when comparing torsional and axial data
sets. When the constants given in Table 2 are employed, a dif-
ferent value for k results (dashed line in Fig. 4). From a
physical standpoint, k's dependency on life can be explained
by invoking crack closure concepts. At shorter fatigue lives
with more nominal plastic deformation, multiple cracks form
,
(4)
Fig. 5 Correlation of the mean-strain and mean-stress data for Inconel
718 using the proposed parameter
and coarsen during most of the fatigue life. They then link to
cause failure. At longer lives cracks extend with increasing
number of cycles [10, 24, 25, 26], indicating less crack face
rubbing. To account for this variation, an expression for k
could be given as a function of cycles (the solid line in Fig. 4)
or an exponent could be added to the normal stress term.
Identification of the orientation of the critical shear plane
for fatigue damage in the present approach is analogous to
procedures employed by other researchers [5, 18] proposing a
shear strain-based parameter with secondary term(s). If two
shear planes experience the same maximum shear strain
amplitude (common for in-phase proportional loading), the
plane with the greater secondary term(s) is anticipated to ex-
perience greater fatigue damage in the absence of anisotropy
considerations.
Mean-Stress/Mean Strain Tests
Mean-strain data for Inconel 718 and 1045 steel using the
proposed damage criterion are presented in Figs. 5 and 6,
respectively. Mean-strains are referred to since for some of the
tests the mean-stresses relaxed substantially from their original
values. Axial mean-stresses are believed to affect fatigue
damage accumulation, while torsional mean-stresses have a
minimal effect [27]. Comparison of Ry = - 1 with Ry = 0 tor-
sional, and R( - - 1 with Re = 0 uniaxial testing of both
materials [16, 28] tends to verify this assumption. Axial
stresses will result in a normal stress on the maximum shear

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 0,1 'I 1— I ' - T T - • t i | 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 | 1 1 1 1 1 1 W

A Tension w/Hoop Stress

0 Tension-Torsion, Mean Stress 500
Torsional Data, R=-l
A
: C*-£r&NXY\ a - A & A £> A-fr-A liA—AA <W»
IN A l l
E c
b
* 0.01-
INA36
NA34
INA31
-
Sf A 0

^ -_o_ -A AA
1045 Mean Stress Data -zr-fizr 2&
K = 0.6 INA19
IN-718 Path Kand L
„.iil i i,,,i„, i -500

i
0,001 rY» 5 6
10 10
Nf, Cycles
Fig. 6 Correlation of the mean-strain and mean-stress data for 1045 10 102 1£>3 10 4 10 5
steel using the proposed parameter N (cycles)
Fig. 7 Experimental axial mean-stress versus fatigue cycles for com-
pletely reversed cyclic torsion tests with static axial strain of Inconel
718
plane, while torsional stresses will not. This observation is
reflected in the proposed damage parameter. Half-life stress
response was employed when calculating damage for Figs. 5
and 6. Correlations within a factor of three are obtained using 240

the proposed parameter for a wide variety of loading histories

investigated for the fatigue life range under consideration (103
to 106 cycles). The scatter of the data are similar for this range
of fatigue life for each material.
Figure 7 displays typical axial mean-stress response for
tension-torsion testing of paths K and L for Inconel 718. Axial
mean-stresses do not relax appreciably for those tests where
the torsional plastic strains were at least an order of magnitude
smaller than their elastic counterparts. For tests where cyclic
plastic strains are about 25 percent of the total cyclic strain,
significant tensile mean-stress relaxation occurs (Fig. 7,
INA34 and INA36). The 1045 steel which displayed a greater
proportion of plastic strain for all tests conducted exhibits
more axial mean-stress relaxation. Torsional mean-stresses
display similar trends but since they do not affect the damage
calculations, no further elaboration will ensue. Socie et al. [16]
have employed a normal strain amplitude term in their
damage model, hence no damage from the static normal strain
in paths K and L is calculated. Also, for strain path K the nor-
mal mean-stress (equation (3)) and the maximum normal
stress (equation (2)) are identical. For nominally completely
elastic tests, incorporation of either a normal strain or normal
stress bulk parameter would be equivalent conceptually with
regard to crack closure arguments. For path L the longitudinal
shear plane experiences identical shear alternation as for
similar torsion experiments, while for the second maximum
shear plane (perpendicular to the specimen axis) a reduced
damage due to the compressive axial stress results as predicted
by all three shear parameters discussed. Hence for path L, the
cracking occurs in the longitudinal direction and fatigue lives
are similar to fully reversed torsional testing.
One test using path K was conducted for 1045 steel and the
axial mean-stresses relaxed to approximately zero early in the
fatigue life (specimen 45C4, Table 3). The fatigue life for this
test is approximately the same as for a fully reversed torsion
test without the static axial strain. The mean stresses also
relaxed to zero in two other mean-strain tests for 1045 steel
(Specimens 45A7 and 45CI, Table 3), and again the fatigue
lives were similar to fully reversed tests with similar strain
amplitudes. This indicates that if the mean-stresses relax
quickly enough, the presence of a mean-strain normal to the
maximum shear plane does not manifest itself in increased
fatigue damage. The proposed damage formulation reflects
this experimentally observed phenomena, while any model in-
corporating a normal strain term such as (equation (1)), would
predict increased fatigue damage.
102 103
N (cycles)
Fig. 8 Experimental axial mean-stress and stress amplitude versus
fatigue cycles for combined axial-torsional tests with R6
1045 steel
Relaxation of the axial mean-stresses in strain controlled
axial-torsion experiments for 1045 steel was partially responsi-
ble for the selection of loading path S. Path S is similar to path
K except that a static axial stress is maintained rather than a
static axial strain, combined with fully reversed torsion.
Though life differences are insignificant when compared to
fully reversed torsional data, cracking characteristics change
[21]. Cracking occurred on both the shear plane oriented with
the longitudinal sulfide stringers, which did not experience a
normal stress, as well as the other shear plane on which a nor-
mal tensile stress resulted from the addition of the static axial
load. For torsion-only loading, cracking occurred only in the
longitudinal direction. It is probably the sulfide stringers
oriented in this shear plane that are responsible for the
material anisotropy which dominates the fully reversed torsion
performance of this material. Correlation of this data employ-
ing either (equation (3)), or the proposed damage representa-
tion (equation (2)) is adequate.
Three tests were conducted employing strain path P for
1045 steel. While initial mean-stress levels were substantial,
they quickly relaxed to a reduced level (Fig. 8) for a majority
of the fatigue life. The resulting fatigue lives for these tests are
shorter in comparison to fully reversed tests [20] with similar
strain amplitudes. The proposed damage formulation (equa-

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 IN-718, Path T
o
CL
^ 500 ^~"° °—°—°—°—t>—o—o o—o—oo—ooocaiacim
K INA12

IN-718 Tension-Torsion Data

L j
0,2' ' —I—< M i l l 1 1 1—^''i'l 1 I 1—' ' ' '
103 10 4 10 5 10 6
N|(cycles)
1 10 10 2 10 3 10 4 10 5 Fig. 11 Lack of correlation for Inconel 718 data employing a damage
N (cycles) parameter (equation (5)) which does not reflect the physical damage
mechanism
Fig. 9 Experimental axial mean-stress and stress amplitude versus
fatigue cycles for axial-internal pressure tests of Inconel 718

Hence, these tests allow mean-stress evaluation of both

I I 1 materials without contemplating the effects of stress relaxa-
\ tion. A shear-based damage formulation with a normal strain
1 0 4 5 Steel, Path T O-Ob
A-crm
—o—o—oo— o o 4 5 C 5
1 —o o o —o — o - a n x > 4 5 C 6
^S^^ -^^-^^-
^ ^ ° ~ - o - —o—o——o— •o—oo—oo-oooocacP
45D3-
., 4 ^ - ^ — ^ ^ _ AA45C5
45D3_
! 1 1 i
1 10 ]D2 JO3 104
N (cycles)
Fig. 10 Experimental axial mean-stress and stress amplitude versus
fatigue cycles for axial-internal pressure tests of 1045 steel
tion (2)) would calculate an increase in damage for these tests
based on experimentally observed half-life deformation, as
would equation (3).
Multiaxial strain path T, with fully reversed axial strain and
a static hoop stress, displays a consistent trend of reduction in
the fatigue life in comparison to fully reversed uniaxial data
for both materials. This reduction is greater than a factor of 2,
depending on the level of static hoop stress. The goal of some
of these tests was to maintain mean-stress levels observed for
Re=0 uniaxial testing before mean-stress relaxation occurred.
Since for either type of test an orientation ±45 degrees from
the specimen axis is a maximum shear strain amplitude plane,
the stresses normal to these shear planes are comparable.
Interaction of hoop and axial deformation in the tension-
tension strain state, cause differences in the point of intersec-
tion with a "yield surface" in comparison to uniaxial-only
loading. Also for the strain controlled tests employing path T,
the extensometer was zeroed after the static pressure had been
applied. This results in an actual initial compressive axial
strain (eD =~v*ed), about which subsequent fully reversed
cycling was conducted. Due to the aforementioned effects, an
initial axial tensile mean-stress is observed for both materials
which is constant for most of the fatigue life (Figs. 9 and 10).
Since the hoop stresses are static, the stress normal to the max-
imum shear strain plane due to both axial and pressure
loadings remains fairly constant throughout the fatigue life.
term (equations (1) or (3)) instead of a normal stress (equation
(2)) would predict decreased fatigue damage when comparing
these data to Re =0 uniaxial data. However a consistent trend
of shorter fatigue lives is observed for loading path T.
Whereas for most of the tension-torsion data (Table 3) the
- normal-stress term accounts for an additional 0 to 20 percent
of the fatigue damage calculated in comparison to the shear
strain alone, in the hoop mean-stress tests (Table 4) an in-
creased calculated damage ranging from 33 to 44 percent oc-
curs. For these tests and fatigue life range under considera-
tion, the elimination of maximum normal stress in damage
calculations would result in at least an order of magnitude er-
ror in predicted fatigue lives.
10 5 Discussion
As discussed previously, most mean-stress research has been
conducted employing uniaxial specimens. In a recent study of
tensile mean-stress effects on uniaxial fatigue behavior of the
1045 steel [28], it was shown that a better correlation of mean-
strain data was obtained using the Smith et al. parameter, as
compared with the Morrow parameter. In a similar investiga-
tion considering both tensile and compressive mean-stress ef-
fects on the uniaxial fatigue behavior of Inconel 718 [29], the
Smith et al. parameter also adequately correlated this data. An
extension of these concepts to multiaxial loading has been pro-
posed by Bannantine and Socie [24] for a given fatigue life:
-y-(a, max ) = constant. (5)
The fatigue crack initiation and growth characteristics of the
materials where successful multiaxial data correlation resulted
using equation (5), differ markedly from those observed for
the 1045 steel and Inconel 718. Cracking perpendicular to the
maximum principal strain direction was observed in materials
such as gray cast iron where this parameter was successful for
both uniaxial and multiaxial fatigue life predictions.
Hence successful correlation of uniaxial mean-stress data
with the Smith et al. parameter for a material is not indicative
of the type of fatigue damage occurring. Figure 11 illustrates
the data scatter that results for Inconel 718 strain paths A
through L, when equation (5) is used to estimate fatigue
damage. Examination of the cracking behavior [16] indicates
that a shear-based damage parameter is appropriate physical-
ly, and is reflected by an improved data correlation for a varie-
ty of multiaxial stress states (Fig. 2), This example illustrates
how a damage parameter that successfully correlates uniaxial

386/Vol. 110, OCTOBER 1988 Transactions of the ASME

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 data without understanding the physical fatigue mechanisms,
could result in erroneous multiaxial life predictions.
No claim of a new fatigue theory is forwarded, rather the
concepts of Mohr, and Brown-Miller [3] are extended into a
format (equation (2)) applicable to more complex multiaxial
loadings. For fully reversed in-phase axial-torsion loadings the
Kandil et al., (equation (1)), Socie et al., (equation (3)), and
the proposed format (equation (2)) all render satisfactory
fatigue life predictions. As previously noted, a strain-based
von Mises criterion [4] also results in satisfactory life predic-
tions for 1045 steel under in-phase axial-torsional loadings.
Mean-stresses relaxed early in the fatigue life for tension-
torsion testing of 1045 steel. Hence, they were not a major fac-
tor when considering the mean-stress sensitivity of extensions
to a shear-based parameter involving mean or maximum nor-
mal stress. Improved fatigue life predictions result by incor-
porating a normal stress term (equation (2) or equation (3)) for
Inconel 718 mean-strain controlled tension-torsion tests
(Paths D-J) where initial mean-stress levels did not relax ap-
preciably. When considering out-of-phase tension-torsion
loadings for materials that display out-of-phase strain harden-
ing, the proposed format (equation (2)) rendered more
satisfactory fatigue life predictions than other shear strain-
based formulations (equation (1) or equation (3)) previously
discussed. This result is not surprising since the other formats
do not incorporate any deformation quantity reflecting the
out-of-phase strain hardening. It should be noted that defor-
mation modeling of this experimentally noted stress-strain
behavior is essential to the successful incorporation of the pro-
posed fatigue damage formulation into any analytical life
prediction methodology.
For the tension-tension multiaxial stress-strain loading, of
which path T is a simple case, the incorporation of a max-
imum stress normal to the maximum shear strain amplitude
plane resulted in improved fatigue life predictions in com-
parison to other shear strain-based formulations. Low-cycle
fatigue life predictions of cyclic tension-tension stress-strain
states, employing shear strain-based parameters without a
stress term have consistently resulted in non-conservative life
predictions [30-32]. Mohr's hypothesis successfully predicts
the high-cycle fatigue life for these loadings [33]. Preliminary
data for Inconel 718 [34] for cyclic tension-tension stress-
strain states indicate that more accurate life predictions will be
obtained employing (equation (2)) than those obtained using
equations (1) or (3).
For even more complex multiaxial loadings, the proposed
formulation is conceptually consistent with the notion that
shear strain alternations are the basic cause of fatigue damage
for a category of materials, with secondary stress or strain
terms modifying the damage associated with the shear strain
amplitude. Hence for a complex multiaxial stress or strain
history where a critical plane for fatigue damage is identified;
during portions of the loading where no shear strain alterna-
tions occur but stresses normal to the critical plane are pres-
ent, no damage would be calculated using the proposed shear
damage parameter (equation (2) is equal to zero since
Conclusions
Based on the experimental results and accompanying discus-
sion, the following conclusions can be made:
1. Many material's multiaxial fatigue damage accumula-
tion manifests itself in the formation and growth of shear
cracks. Shear-based multiaxial fatigue criteria should be used
for predicting the fatigue life of such materials.
2. A successful uniaxial mean-stress life prediction
method can result in erroneous multiaxial fatigue life
estimates as large as an order of magnitude if the physical
basis for the parameter is not consistent with the damage
mechanism observed for the material.
Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology
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3. Mean-stress and/or mean-strain data using a wide
variety of loading paths were successfully correlated using a
recently developed shear-based critical plane approach. The
nominal stress/strain components of this approach consist of
the maximum shear strain amplitude and the maximum nor-
mal stress on the plane of maximum shear strain amplitude.
Mean-stresses can be accounted for since the maximum nor-
mal stress consists of alternating and mean components.
4. Mean-stresses can have a significant influence on the
fatigue life if they do not relax. Reduction of fatigue lives as
large as an order of magnitude was observed for tests with
substantial mean-stresses. Mean-strains are not detrimental to
the fatigue life if the resulting mean-stresses relax a significant
amount quickly enough. The critical shear plane approach
proposed can account for this behavior.
Acknowledgments
All the experiments in this study were conducted in the
Materials Engineering Laboratory, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. The SAE Fatigue Design and Evaluation
Committee donated the material for the 1045 specimens. Par-
tial financial support was provided by Purdue Research Foun-
dation while A. Fatemi was assistant professor of Mechanical
Engineering at Purdue University-Ft. Wayne. Allison Gas
Turbine provided the material and funding to investigate the
fatigue performance of Inconel 718. The Mechanical
Engineering Department Publications Office at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign assisted in the preparation of
the manuscript.
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OCTOBER. 1988, Vol. 110/387
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The proposed damage formulation is:
Symposium on Evaluation and Techniques in Fractography, Atlanta, GA, Nov.
^Trr L
1988. [l + k (o-™x/oy)] = constant, (A.l)
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1045 Steel in Shear Strain Control," Multiaxial Fatigue, ASTM STP 853, K. J.
Miller and M. W. Brown, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials,
and for fully reversed uniaxial testing:
Philadelphia, 1985, pp. 482-496. A7 m ! , y Ae„ A<T„
23 Fatemi, A., "Fatigue and Deformation under Proportional and Non- lmax
i n i / V „max_ «. (A.2)
proportional Biaxial Loading," Ph.D. thesis, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1985, 194 pp.
2 2 U '' " 4 '
24 Bannantine, J. A., and Socie, D. F., "Observations of Cracking Behavior Combining (A.l) and (A.2) results in:
in Tension and Torsion Low Cycle Fatigue," Low Cycle Fatigue, ASTM STP
942, Solomon, Halford, Kaisand and Leis, Eds., American Society for Testing
and Materials, Philadelphia, 1988.
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stant Amplitude Biaxial Loading," Fatigue of Engineering Materials and Struc-
tures, Vol. 2, No. 3, 1984, pp. 165-179. = ^-(l + P*)[l+k(Aaa/4ay)]. (A.3)
26 Fash, J. W., "An Evaluation of Damage Development During Multiaxial
Fatigue of Smooth and Notched Specimens," Ph.D. thesis, Department of Considering the elastic and plastic components of strain:
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, 1985, 186 pp. A£
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Strains, ASME JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY, Vol,
2 2 * 2
103, 1981, pp. 82-90. and the Basquin and Coffin-Manson relations:
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Conf. on Fatigue and Fatigue Thresholds, Eds., R. O. Richie and E. A. Starke, f f (A.5)
Jr., Charlottesville, VA, 1987, pp. 537-546.
IE 2 E 2 '
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Inconel 718.
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Mild Steel: Data Synthesis and Interpretation," Ontario Hydro Research
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= I (1 + "E)~(2Nf)b + (1 + vp)e}(2NfY
E
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l+k
(it^)b) (A.6)

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