Fatigue Behavior

Fatigue behavior describes the behaviour of materials under repeated, cyclic loading, in which the stresses change direction or magnitude. It indicates how many load cycles a material can withstand before it breaks. The Wöhler test is often used to determine atigue behavior, in which samples are subjected to defined, alternating loads. The results are presented in a Wöhler curve, which shows the stress amplitude as a function of the number of load cycles that can be withstood before failure. This curve is divided into areas of short-term, time and fatigue behavior. Knowledge of fatigue behavior is essential for the design of stainless steel components, as it provides information about the service life and failure behaviour under real operating conditions. Factors such as surface finish, notch effect and environmental conditions influence fatigue behavior and must be taken into account in the design.