A Practical Method for Determining the Corten-Dolan Exponent and Its Application to Fatigue Life Prediction

Based on the derivation and calculation of the Corten-Dolan exponent d, a practical method of determining its value is proposed. This exponent depends not only upon the materials, but also upon the load spectrums. Therefore its value is obtained by a function which decreases with increasing stress amplitude. This exponent was investigated through analysis of fatigue damage evolution to determine its parameters. The proposed method has been effectively proved by experimental data from literature. Utilization of the modified Corten-Dolan's model significantly improves its life prediction capability when compared to the conventional model where that exponent was assumed to be constant.