Fatigue Analysis

Step

00 Fatigue Analysis Summary

Analysis Summary
• Fatigue cracking is influenced by various factors such as defective welds, stress concentration, allowable stress range, cyclic stress, etc. The
cyclic loading initiates cracking on the structure and eventually leads to a fracture. Therefore, a detailed investigation on the property of vulnerable
parts prone to fatigue is required.

• The Fatigue Analysis is performed by the Stress-life and Strain-life methods. The Stress-life method uses a relatively simple algorithm, and the
analysis time is short through simple calculations. midas NFX performs fatigue analysis by the Stress-life method using S-N Curve.

Analysis Procedure
1) For fatigue analysis, static analysis is performed on the structure first. Then, the amplitude of stresses acting on the structure is obtained
after calculating the absolute maximum stress, absolute minimum stress or Von-Mises stress.

2) Rainflow-Counting method (combination of a number of varying stress amplitudes) and S-N Curve (relationship between the stress
amplitude and the number of cycles) are used.

3) Considering the effect of the average stress, the fatigue life and the level of damage are assessed.

☞ Structural modeling  Linear Static Analysis  Fatigue Analysis for Stress  Analysis Results

Analysis Limitations
• The fatigue analysis is limited to linear analysis of isotropic elastic material.

2
Step

00 Overview
Overview
 2-D Fatigue Analysis

- Unit: N, mm
Connection
- Isotropic Elastic Material

- connection.nfxa

 Loads and Boundary Conditions

- Edge Pressure

- Gravity

- Constraint

 Results Verification

- Solid Element Stresses

- None, Goodman, Gerber

connection 3
Step

01 File > Open

Procedure
1 Select “connection.nfxa” and click

[OK].

connection 4
Step

02 Analysis & Results > Analysis Case > General

Procedure
1 Title: Enter “Linear Static”.

2 Solution Type: Select [Linear Static].

3 Click [OK].

connection 5
Step

03 Analysis & Results > Analysis > Perform

Procedure
1 Invoke File > [Save…] to save the file.

(connection.nfxa)

2 Click [OK].

connection 6
Step
Analysis & Results Works Tree: Analysis Case > Linear Static: Linear Static

04 Linear Static (Required)

Procedure
1 Double-click [SHELL STRS VON

MISES BOTTOM].

connection 7
Step
Analysis & Results Works Tree: Analysis Case > Linear Static: Linear Static

05 Linear Static (Required)

Procedure
1 Right-click Linear Static: Linear

Static and select [Insert Fatigue

Analysis Result].

connection 8
Step

06 Results > Fatigue Analysis

Procedure
1 Method: Select [SN using load 4
1
history].
5
2 Stress Option: Select [Signed Von
Mises] and select [Average]. 2
6
3 Click [Define Property].
4 Material: Select [AISI 304].
5 Tensile Strength: Enter “200”.
6 Enter Endurance Limit: “50”, 7
Cycles at Endurance: “1000000”. 3

7 Click [Add].

8 Click [Close]. 9

9 Mean Stress Correction: Check

10
[None], [Goodman] and [Gerber].
8
10 Output Request: Check [Damage]

and [Fatigue Life Cycle]. 11

11 Load / Stress History: Click [Define].

This value is defined by the

Tension value defined in the

Material definition window.

connection 9
Step

07 Results > Fatigue Analysis

Procedure
1 Name: Select [Linear Static
(Required)] and enter Concentration 6
1
Factor: “1”.
2 Click [Define Fatigue Curve].

3 Name: Enter “Sine”.

4 Enter (0, 1), (0.25, 2), (0.5, 1),

(0.75, 0) and (1, 1) in the table.

5 Click [OK].
2 7
6 Fatigue Load Function: Select [4:

Sine].
7 Click [OK].
3
8 Number of Load Cycles: Enter “1”.
9 Click [OK].
4

connection 10
Step

08 Fatigue Analysis Terminology (1)

• Analysis Set
- Since fatigue analysis is performed with the stress used in linear static analysis, the Analysis Set of the linear
analysis is displayed.

• Stress Option
- Use Signed Von Mises stress to perform fatigue analysis.
① Average
- When obtaining the stress at a node, calculate the average of the stresses of the adjoining elements at the
corresponding node.
② Max/Min
- When obtaining the stress at a node, use the max/min values among the stresses of the adjoining elements at the
corresponding node.

• Property
- The material property does not affect linear analysis. Enter additional properties of the material for fatigue analysis.
Additional material properties are limited to Isotropic Elastic materials. When S-N Curve is used to perform fatigue
analysis, define the relationship between the stress amplitude (s) and the number of cycles of the amplitude stress
leading to failure. Tensile Strength must be greater than the stress from linear static analysis and the endurance
limit.

Figure 1. S-N Curve

connection 11
Step

09 Fatigue Analysis Terminology (2)

• Direct Input
- Enter Endurance Limit and Cycles at Endurance.
• Function
- S-N curve can be defined in the graph format.

• Mean Stress Correction

- Even if the stress amplitudes acting on the structure are identical, the fatigue lives are different if the average stresses
are different. In order to reflect the effects of the average stress, the Goodman and Gerber equations are proposed.
None: Average stress is not considered. Goodman, Gerber: Average Stress of Goodman or Gerber is considered.

• Output Request
- Check the boxes to generate output results of the fatigue analysis.
Damage: Shows the damage caused by the fatigue in %.
Fatigue Life Cycle: The number of cycles until which the material can endure the current fatigue loading

• Target Nodes
- Specify nodes at which the fatigue analysis results will be produced
Boundary: Analysis is performed for the nodes at the exterior surface of the entire model.
All: Analysis is performed for all the nodes of the entire model.
Select: Analysis is performed for the nodes of the selected mesh sets.

• Fatigue Load
- Define the varying load history curve for each load case of the analysis case. Fatigue Load Set represents the
stresses calculated from a linear analysis multiplied by the values of the history curve.
Load / Stress History: Define the load history curve used in fatigue analysis.
Number of Cycles: Define the number of times in which the user-defined fatigue load is repeated.

connection 12
Step
Analysis & Results Works Tree: Analysis Case > Linear Static_Fatigue Result: Fatigue Analysis

10 Goodman
Procedure
1 Double-click [FATIGUE LIFECYCLE].

connection 13
Step

00 Overview
Overview
 3D Fatigue Analysis

- Units: N, mm
Hanger
- Isotropic elastic material

- Hanger.nfxa

 Loads and Boundary Conditions

- Force

- Constraint

 Check Results

- Solid element stresses

- None, Goodman and Gerber

Hanger 15
Step

01 File > Open

Procedure
1 Select “Hanger.nfxa” and click [OK].

2 Right-click the work window and select

[Hide All Guiders].

Hanger 16
Step

02 Analysis & Results > Analysis Case > General

Procedure
1 Title: Enter “Linear Static”.

2 Solution Type: Select [Linear Static]. 1

3 Click [OK]. 2

Hanger 17
Step

03 Analysis & Results > Analysis > Perform

Procedure
1 Invoke File > [Save…] to save the file.

(Hanger.nfxa)

2 Click [OK].

Hanger 18
Step
Analysis & Results Works Tree: Analysis Case > Linear Static: Linear Static

04 Linear Static (Required)

Procedure
1 Double-click [SOLID STRS VON

MISES].

Hanger 19
Step

05 Results > Fatigue Analysis

Procedure
1 Method: Select [SN using load 4
1
history]. 5

2 Stress Option: Select [Signed Von

6
Mises] and select [Average]. 2

3 Click [Define Property].

4 Material: Select [STEEL].
5 Enter Tensile Strength: “250”.
7
6 Enter Endurance Limit: “40”,
3
Cycles at Endurance: “1000000”.

7 Click [Add].
9
8 Click [Close].

9 Mean Stress Correction: Check

10
[None], [Goodman] and [Gerber]. 8
10 Output Request: Check [Damage]
11
and [Fatigue Life Cycle].

11 Load/Stress History: Click “Define…”.

Hanger 20
Step

06 Results > Fatigue Analysis

Procedure
1 Name: Select [Linear Static
(Required)] and enter Concentration 1 6 6
1
Factor: “1”.
2 Click [Define Fatigue Curve].

3 Name: Enter “Sine”.

4 Enter (0, 1), (0.25, 2), (0.5, 1),

(0.75, 0) and (1, 1) in the table.

5 Click [OK]. 2 2 7 7

6 Fatigue Load Function: Select [4:

Sine].

7 Click [OK]. 33
8 Number of Load Cycles: Enter “1”.

9 Click [OK].
44

5
9

Hanger 21
Step
Analysis & Results Works Tree: Analysis Case > Linear Static_Fatigue Result: Fatigue Analysis

07 Goodman
Procedure
1 Double-click [FATIGUE LIFECYCLE].

Hanger 22