Failure criteria and cumulative damage models for steel components under cyclic loading

In this paper the behaviour of welded beam-to-column connections under low-cycle fatigue is investigated in terms of failure criteria. A damage index and a failure criterion for steel components under cyclic loading, based on the capacity of the structural details to dissipate energy, are presented and discussed. After a review of some cyclic test results obtained for steel beam-to-column connections, a comparison is presented between the cumulative damage model based on the damage index and failure criterion previously introduced, and other models and failure criteria available in the literature.