Cumulative Damage Theories and Application

Abstract

A number of the cumulative-damage theories which are currently available have been reviewed. Significant assumptions regarding the manner in which fatigue damage is assumed to occur at different stress levels when these stress levels occur alone and when they are mixed are also delineated. On this basis the several theories are identified as stress-dependent or stress-independent and are classified further as interaction or interaction-free theories. All of the theories conform in their general aspects to observed phenomena.