Abstract: Fatigue life scatter under a variable amplitude load history is determined by many factors such as the amplitudes of the individual load cycles, the number of the load cycles with different load levels, and the differences between the load levels as well. Besides an overview on the studies and experiments on the scatter of fatigue life under variable amplitude load histories, the present paper conducted a series of fatigue tests, demonstrates the life scatters under different load histories, and discusses the dominated factors of fatigue life scatter.

Biography: Prof. Liyang Xie is a professor (from 1992 to present) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University, Shenyang, China. He received his BS (1982) in mechanical Manufacturing, MS (1985) & PhD (1988) in structural integrity (fatigue fracture) from Northeastern University, Shenyang, China. He worked one year in the Probabilistic Safety Analysis Institute, TUVE Nord, Hamburg in 1996 and two more years in the Department of Plant Safety, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany during 1997-1998.

His research interests include structural fatigue and system reliability. He has undertaken and accomplished many research projects funded by Chinese government and industry, such as fatigue life prediction and reliability evaluation theory and method of aero engine, railway train structures, car and truck structures, product reliability estimation based on very small size of samples, mechanism reliability simulation, etc. He has published more than 100 papers in journals such as IEEE Trans on Reliability, Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials and Structures, Int. J. Fatigue, Int. J. Performability Engineering, Int. J. Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering, Int. J. Reliability Engineering, and Int. J. Advanced Reliability.