Problems of equivalent load amplitude in fatigue life calculations

This paper presents issues of fatigue life calculations in operational load conditions. The assumed runs were so processed as to get a set of sinusoidal cycles by using the following methods: full cycles counting method and rainflow counting method. On the basis of such sets of cycles of the varying parameters Sm i and Sa i were prepared block load spectra of equivalent amplitudes Saz , obtained with the use of an original method of these authors, in which two-parameter fatigue characteristics were applied. The work resulted in comparison of fatigue life results for load spectra determined by using the assumed cycles counting methods and the assumed two-parameter fatigue characteristics: the model IM, model II, model III and model IV, respectively.