Fatigue Life Prediction under Variable Cyclic Loading Based on Statistical Linear Cumulative Damage Rule for CFRP Laminates

This paper is concerned with the applicability of the statistical linear cumulative damage (SLCD) rule for predicting the fatigue life under variable cyclic loading for CFRP laminates. The three-point bending fatigue tests for plain-woven and quasi-isotropic CFRP laminates were carried out under various cyclic loadings with constant and variable load amplitude and frequency. As a result, the applicability of SLCD rule to the flexural fatigue life of these CFRP laminates was confirmed for the cases of variable frequency as well as variable amplitude from the viewpoint of statistics.