Modeling the Effect of Stress Ratio, Loading Frequency and Fiber Orientation on the Fatigue Response of Composite Materials

Abstract

Fatigue life models are widely used to predict the fatigue behavior at arbitrary cycle counts of composite structures subjected to cyclic or highly dynamic loads. However, their predictive capacity and determination of model parameters are strongly dependent on loading conditions and large experimental efforts. This research aims to develop a new model which uses a single model parameter to predict the variation trend and distribution pattern of fatigue experimental data points subjected to different stress ratios, loading frequencies and fiber orientations. Validation of the model with several sets of experimental data shows that the proposed model is capable of adequately considering the effects of stress ratio, loading frequency and fiber orientation on the fatigue behavior of composite materials and correctly predicting the variation trend of the experimental data points using only one set of model parameters regardless of stress ratios, loading frequencies and fiber orientations.