Failure criteria and cumulative damage models for steel components under cyclic loading

In this paper the behaviour of welded beam-to-column connections under low-cycle fatigue is investigated in terms of failure criteria. A damage index and a failure criterion for steel components under cyclic loading, based on the capacity of the structural details to dissipate energy, are presented and discussed. After a review of some cyclic test results obtained for steel beam-to-column connections, a comparison is presented between the cumulative damage model based on the damage index and failure criterion previously introduced, and other models and failure criteria available in the literature. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.