Probabilistic modelling of notch fatigue and size effect of components using highly stressed volume approach

Modeling of the notch and size effects on fatigue behavior of materials is vital for ensuring structural integrity and reliability of engineering components. This study presents a methodology considering both effects of notch and size to analyze the fatigue life distribution of specimens with different geometries using the highly stressed volume approach. Specifically, a dynamic model coefficient considering the influence of different maximum local stresses is developed by modeling the size effect of highly stressed volumes with Weibull distribution. Experimental data of three aluminum and titanium alloys are utilized for model validation and comparison. Fatigue lives of three materials with different geometries are evaluated respectively, and predicted P-S-N curves indicate that proposed model predictions agree well with the probabilistic scatter band of experimental results.