Smith Watson and Topper Model in the Determination of the Fatigue Life of an Automotive Steel

The Smith Watson and Topper (SWT) model was used for determining the fatigue life of an automotive steel. Nowadays, the need to make lighter vehicles demands greater effort in the design of components that are subject to cyclical loads and external forces. The ratio of maximum and minimum load in reversible tests allows to know the circumstances under which a component can support during service. Samples of low carbon alloy were prepared and tested according to ASTM E466 and E606 standard for high cycle fatigue (HCF) and low cycle fatigue (LCF) respectively. The SWT model was applied for the data of the strain and stress registered during the tests, this approach assumes that the life for any situation of mean stress depends on the product, this parameter was calculated with the fatigue life properties at σm = 0.