New Nonlinear Cumulative Fatigue Damage Model Based on Ecological Quality Dissipation of Materials

The failure of many aircraft structures and materials is caused by the accumulation of fatigue damage under variable-amplitude cyclic loading wherein the damage evolution of materials is complicated. Therefore, to study the cumulative fatigue damage of materials under variable-amplitude cyclic loading, a new nonlinear fatigue damage accumulation model is proposed based on the ecological quality dissipation of materials by considering the effects of load interaction and sequence. The proposed new model is validated by the test data obtained for three kinds of material under multilevel fatigue loading. Compared with the Miner model and Kwofie model, the proposed model can more effectively analyse the accumulative damage and predict fatigue life of different materials under variable-amplitude cyclic loading than others. The study provides a basis for predicting fatigue life accurately and determining reasonable maintenance periods of aircraft structures.