Design against

Fluctuating Load
Ganesh Mandpe
mandpeganesh2@gmail.com

What we will cover:

Stress Concentration
Notch Sensitivity
Fatigue Failure
Endurance Limit
Goodman, soderberg diagrams
Modified Goodman diagrams
Fatigue design under Combined stresses

Stress

Axial Load on Plate with Hole

(a)
(b)

Plate with cross-sectional plane

Half of plate with stress distribution.

FEA analysis of 2D plate with circular hole

using ANSYS

Stress Concentration
Stress

Concentration is defined as
the loacalization of high stresses due
to the irregularities present in the
component and abrupt changes of the
cross-section.

Stress Concentration Factor (Kt)

Kt

Highest value of actual stress near discontinuity

No min al sress obtained by elementary equations for min mum cross sec tions

max max
Kt

0
0

Causes of Stress Concentration

Variation in Properties of Materials
Load Application
Abrupt changes in section
Discontinuities in component
Machining Scratches

Variation in Properties of Materials

Internal cracks and flaws like blow holes

Cavities in welds

Air holes in steel components

Nonmetallic or foreign inclusions

Load Application

Abrupt changes in section

In order to mount gears, sprockets,pulleys

and ball bearings in a transmission shaft,
steps are cut on the shaft and shoulders
and provided from assembly
considerations.

This results in stress concentration

Discontinuities in the component

Certain features of machine components

such as oil holes or oil grooves, keyways
and splines and screw threads result in
discontinuities in the cross-section of
component.

There is stress concentration

Machining Scratches

Machining scratches,stamp marks or

inspection marks are surface irregularities
which cause stress concentration.

STRESS CONCENTRATION
FACTORS

Stress concentration factors are

determinded by two methods,
Mathematical

method based on theory of

elasticity
Experimental methods like photo-elasticity
At present, FEA packeges are used to find out
the stress concentration factor for any
geometric shape.

Charts for Kt for different geometric

shapes and conditions of loading
were developed by RE Peterson
EX: A 50mm wide and
5mm high rectangular
plate has a 5mm
diameter central hole.
Allowable stress is 300
MPa. Find the max.
tensile force that can
be applied.
Ans: d/b = 0.1; Kt=2.7
A = (50-5)5
P = 25 kN

Stress concentration factor for rectangular plate with central hole.

EX: Assume
H=45mm,
h=25mm, and
fillet radius
r=5mm. Find
stress
concentration
factor.
Ans: ~1.8

Stress concentration factor under axial load for rectangular plate with fillet

Gap between
lines
decrease with
increase in r/d
ratio.

Stress concentration factor under axial load for round bar

with fillet

Stress concentration factor under bending for round bar with fillet

REDUCTION OF STRESS
CONCENTRATION

Although It is not possible to completely eliminate effect

of stress concentration
This is achieved by providing a specific geometric shape
to the component

Additional Notches and Holes in

Tension Member

Fillet Radius,Undercutting and

Notch for Member in Bending

Drilling Additional Holes for

shaft
An empirical relationship
developed By HF Moore for the
ratio C of torsional Strength of
shaft having a keyway to
torsional Strength of same
sized shaft without a keyway

w
h
C 1 0.2
1.1
d
d

Reduction of Stress Concentration

in Threaded Members

Guidelines for Designer

Ductile Materials Under Static Load

Under

a static load, ductile materials are not

affected by stress concentration ,to the extent
that photo-elastic analysis might indicate.

Ductile Materials under Fluctuating Load

However,

when the load is fluctuating, the stress at

the discontinuities may exceed endurance limit and
in that case, the component may fail by fatigue.
Endurance limit of the components made of ductile
materials is greatly reduced due to stress
concentration.
This accounts for the use of stress concentration
factors for ductile materials.

Brittle Materials
The

effect of stress concentration is more severe in

case of brittle materials, due to their inability of
plastic deformation.
Brittle materials do not yield locally and there is no
adjustment of stresses at the discontinuities.
Stress concentration factors are used for
components made of brittle materials subjected to
both static as well as fluctuating load.

NOTCH SENSITIVITY

Fatigue Stress Concentration

Factor (Kf)
Some materials are more sensitive than
others to stress raising notches under
fluctuating load.
To account for this effect, a parameter called
notch sensitivity factor is found for each
material.
The notch sensitivity factor is used to modify
the theoretical stress concentration factor.

Is defined as the ratio of the actual

maximum stress in component to the
nominal stress at the same section.

Endurance limit of the notch free specimen

Kf
Endurance limit of the notched specimen
Actual max. stress in notched specimen
Kf
Nominal stress in notch free specimen

The term notch sensitivity is used to relate

the fatigue stress concentration factor with
theoretical stress concentration factor.

It indicates the sensitivity of the material to

notches or discontinuities.

NOTCH SENSITIVITY

Is defined as the degree to which the

theoretical expected effect of stress
concentration is actually reached.
Increase of actual stress over the nominal stress
q
Increase of theoretical expected stress over nominal stress
Kfo o
q
Kto o
Kf 1
q
Kt 1
Kf q ( Kt 1) 1