Evaluation of low cycle fatigue under non-proportional loading

A series of low cycle fatigue experiments have been conducted on a 42CrMo steel under tension-torsion loading. Thin-walled tube specimens were used. Low cycle fatigue under various loading paths, including circular and square paths, have been investigated. The plastic work criterion for low cycle fatigue failure has previously been generally accepted, but it is difficult to calculate stress and strain for complex loading paths, especially for non-proportional loading. This present study suggests a simple method for the calculation of the stable cyclic stress and strain values based on a Modified Endochronic Constitutive Theory (MECT) that redefines an intrinsic time scale. The loading path effect under non-proportional loading is also considered when evaluating fatigue life. The results show that the plastic work approach using the MECT method in multiaxial fatigue calculations correlates reasonably well the data and is a reflection of loading path dependence.