Effects of Loading Frequency and Loading Type on High-Cycle and Very-High-Cycle Fatigue of a High-Strength Steel

High-cycle and very-high-cycle fatigue tests via rotary bending (52.5 Hz), electromagnetic resonance (120 Hz) axial cycling, and ultrasonic (20 kHz) axial cycling were performed for a high-strength steel with three heat treatment conditions, and the effects of loading frequency and loading type on fatigue strength and fatigue life were investigated. The results revealed that the loading frequency effect is caused by the combined response of strain rate increase and induced temperature rise. A parameter η was proposed to judge the occurrence of loading frequency effect, and the calculated results were in agreement with the experimental data. In addition, a statistical method based on the control volume was used to reconcile the effect of loading type, and the predicted data were consistent with the experimental results.