Initial insights into spruce wood fatigue behaviour using dynamic mechanical properties in low-cycle fatigue

Gaberšček Tuta, Gregor (author), Fajdiga, Gorazd (author), Straže, Aleš (author)

Damaged material invariably exhibits a lower resonance frequency than undamaged material due to its reduced stiffness. Under fatigue loading, damage accumulates until failure, so changes in resonance frequency can be utilised as a variable to predict fatigue life. Conventional fatigue life prediction methods have a low success rate, prompting the exploration of alternative approaches. We have presented a novel method for predicting the fatigue life of spruce wood based on changes in resonance frequency during fatigue, using a representative specimen (i.e., one out of five specimens tested, with four used for static strength reference). We conducted a low-cycle fatigue test and monitored the resonance frequency alongside the dynamic and static modulus of elasticity. All three types of data were employed to predict fatigue life using between 40% and 100% of the measurement data. Of the two fatigue life prediction methods investigated, the Weibull cycle density distribution using resonance frequency measurements proved most appropriate. The error decreases monotonically with the amount of resonance frequency measurement data used for fatigue life prediction, reaching its lowest value of 1% when the full resonance frequency dataset is used. The proposed fatigue life prediction method should be further validated with a larger sample size, as fatigue is inherently a statistical phenomenon.

• Language: English
• Keywords: resonance frequency, fatigue life prediction, elastic modulus, Weibull distribution
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 1-15
• Numbering: Vol. 16, iss. 8, [article no.] 1324
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-173052
• UDC: 630*812.78
• ISSN on article: 1999-4907
• DOI: 10.3390/f16081324
• COBISS.SI-ID: 248376323
• Publication date in RUL: 12.09.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Forests
• Shortened title: Forests
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4907
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3872166

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: lastna frekvenca, napoved življenjske dobe, modul elastičnosti, Weibullova porazdelitev

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0182-2019
• Name: Razvojna vrednotenja

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0430-2022
• Name: Gozdno-lesna veriga in podnebne spremembe: prehod v krožno biogospodarstvo