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Description / Abstract:
Introduction
Note: Nothing in this standard supercedes
applicable laws and regulations.
Note: In the event of conflict between the
English and domestic language, the English language shall take
precedence.
This procedure applies to the development of a block cycle test
specification (load amplitudes and counts). It does not include
details of applying the developed block cycle test to the specimen.
Refer to procedure GMW15833 for an example of executing the
developed block cycle test.
Purpose. This document provides a standard
process for developing a block cycle test. The fatigue calculations
used in this procedure are assumed to be performed following
GMW15269. The block cycle test, if properly designed, brings out
weaknesses in the structure in a very short time, compared to the
time required for road tests or real-time type laboratory testing.
Block cycle tests are especially useful when a single axis of test
input provides sufficiently accurate testing. This procedure is
based on uniaxial fatigue theory, and may not be effective in
duplicating failure modes due to multi-axial inputs and other
mechanisms, such as wear, corrosion, or thermal cycling.
In block cycle testing, a set of time-histories is replaced by a
number of cycles arranged in repeating blocks of constant peak and
valley load or strain. This approach is used to decrease fatigue
testing time for components and structures and simplify creation of
the test. A series of these cycles forms a block. The blocks may be
further arranged into passes of multiple blocks. The block cycle
loading test is developed by comparing the rainflow matrix of the
original time-history and the percent damage per bin associated
with that time-history. The combinations of most damaging cycles
will produce the block test. It has been documented that for some
cases the experimental fatigue lives for specimens and components
subjected to variable amplitude loading can be well below the
fatigue life predicted using constant amplitude test results.
In general, high cycles of small amplitudes below a specified
level (usually the endurance limit) are omitted. Six to ten series
of load levels typically provide adequate approximations of
variable amplitude fatigue inputs. The sequence of blocks is
important. A random sequence will minimize undesirable sequence
effects, but generally the most severe arrangement is used.
However, a series of blocks may be grouped into a pass consisting
of several blocks. The use of passes gives some random nature to
the test to prevent front-loading all damage. Note that high
amplitude ranges that occur only seldom are added once in every nth
pass. It has been found that a test should contain at least eight
passes in order to represent the original history.
Multi-axis inputs should be used with caution as this process
loses all phase relationships between channels. As block cycle
testing usually is run only at a single frequency, specimens with a
frequency-dependent nature and/or subject to high inertial loading,
should be tested with caution.
As mentioned earlier, the small amplitude cycles are generally
not included in the block cycle test. However, recent work has
suggested that care should be taken in the elimination of smaller
levels. A solution for this problem based on theoretical models and
a few fundamental data, describing strength of material and/or
components, is not available to date. To partially consider the
small cycle effect for the above example, a range of 3 levels with
the number of cycles equal to 120 000 cycles may be added to the
block test. Note that a range of 3 levels was chosen as the average
between 1 to 6 levels and the selected number of cycles is about
10% of the total rainflow cycles in the ranges 1 to 6
levels.
Applicability. This procedure is typically used
for creating block cycle lab tests suitable for durability
evaluations of a development or validation nature where uniaxial
and constant frequency loading is acceptable.