LAUSR

Abstract This study aims to develop a volume-based indicator, which assesses notched components under combined high- and low-cycle loadings. The fatigue driving force derives from the average strain energy density in a half-circle control volume ahead of the notch tip. The proposed approach describes the crack propagation ahead of a notch tip as a series of initiation events over a sequence of control volumes ahead of the tip. The experimental evidence confirms that a 0.3 mm radius of the control volume for S355 steel predicts closely the fatigue crack initiation and propagation for notched specimens under both high-cycle and low-cycle actions.