Mechanics of Materials in Low Cycle Fatigue Testing

The purpose of this paper is to outline a method for evaluating the low cycle fatigue resistance of a metal from the mechanics of materials viewpoint. This includes a discussion of the fatigue properties and the effect of repeated plastic straining on the mechanical properties of metals. The cyclic stress-strain curve is defined as the locus of tips of several stable hysteresis loops obtained at different cyclic strain ranges. An expression is presented for mathematically representing the locus of their tips, and a number of experimental methods are discussed for determining the stable cyclic stress-strain properties.