On the Influence of Strain-Path in Multiaxial Fatigue Failure

Abstract

A set of strain-controlled experiments has been performed on tubular specimens of annealed stainless steel. The strain-paths are designed to highlight the characteristics of path-dependence in the axial-torsional fatigue tests. Fatigue life, directions of crack initiation, and propagation are the subjects of interest in this investigation. They have been observed to be strongly influenced by the strain-path. For all the specimens tested, crack initiation was in the tensile mode.