Modeling Very Low Cycle Fatigue

The damage mechanics allows the formulation of a three-dimensional kinetic law of damage evolution adapted to very low cycle fatigue where the number of cycles are as low as one to twenty. Its applicability is shown by an identification on an Inconel 718 alloy at 630°C and by an application as a post processor after a finite element analysis of an axisymmetric structure to determine the number of cycles to crack initiation. The corresponding experiments are also reported.