Stress, Strain, or Energy: Which One Is the Superior Parameter to Estimate Fatigue Life of Notched Components? An Answer by a Novel Machine Learning-Based Framework

Abstract: This paper introduces a simple framework for accurately predicting the fatigue lifetime of notched components by employing various machine learning algorithms applied to a wide range of materials, loading conditions, notch geometries, and fatigue lives. Traditional approaches for this task have relied on empirical relationships involving one of the mechanical properties, such as stress, strain, or energy. This study goes further by exploring which mechanical property serves as a better measure. The key idea of the framework is to use the gradient of the mechanical properties (stress, strain, and energy) to distinguish between different notch geometries. To demonstrate the accuracy and broad applicability of the framework, it is initially validated using isotropic materials, subsequently applied to samples produced through additive manufacturing techniques, and ultimately tested on carbon fiber laminated composites. The research demonstrates that the gradient of all three measures can be effectively employed to estimate fatigue lifetime, with stress-based predictions exhibiting the highest accuracy. Among the machine learning algorithms investigated, Gradient Boosting and Random Forest yield the most successful results. A noteworthy finding is the significant improvement in prediction accuracy achieved by incorporating new data generated based on the Basquin equation.