On fatigue damage assessment in bimodal random processes

Rainflow fatigue damage in bimodal Gaussian processes is discussed. Some methods specifically developed for bimodal processes (e.g., single-moment, Jiao-Moan, Sakai-Okamura and Fu-Cebon method) are compared with the Tovo-Benasciutti method, a new approach valid for the broader class of wide-band processes. Further, an improvement of the Fu-Cebon method is also proposed. Numerically simulated bimodal random processes are used to compare the accuracies of all methods and to find the optimal range for their applicability. The single-moment, the modified Fu-Cebon and the Tovo-Benasciutti methods are seen as the most accurate over a wide combination of bimodal spectra. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.