Determination of load spectra for design and testing

Abstract

For the service fatigue life of components and systems, operational loading conditions are of paramount importance. The load spectra used for the design and testing must fulfil the task of predicting the service life, taking into account the customer usage as well as reliability requirements. In this paper, the criteria and the main parameters for the load spectra to be used for design and testing are described, the procedures to determine these spectra treated, and the requirements concerning the reliability discussed.