Assembly and service

Static and cyclic loading

A single load point does not fully describe an application that repeats cycles or combines minimum and maximum loads.

Spring in a test fixture beside a short wire specimen with a small surface fatigue initiation.
Educational illustration generated for this guide.

Fatigue

Cyclic life depends on stress range and mean level, geometry, surface, material, temperature, and process variation. Hooks and legs may be critical locations. Safe life cannot be inferred from rate alone.

Cycle data

Describe minimum and maximum load, frequency, expected cycle count, dwell, impacts, and environment. The current calculator does not predict fatigue life or apply Goodman diagrams or other acceptance criteria.