An energy-based fatigue life prediction of a mining truck welded frame

An energy-based fatigue damage model was used to estimate the fatigue life of a mining truck welded frame. Experimental work including monotonic and strain-controlled cyclic loading was conducted to characterize the base metal and the weld. A dynamic model was created for the whole truck in the ADAMS software to estimate the force histories applied to the frame in different maneuvers over a simulated road. A Finite element (FE) model was generated for the welded frame and the cyclic loading obtained from the dynamic model was applied to the FE model. The FE model was used to find the stress and strain responses, which were then used to calculate the strain energy and the fatigue life. The fatigue life predictions for the frame agreed well with observations of the truck’s in-service failure.