Influence of manufacturing processes to the fatigue strength of thin steel plates.

Many load-bearing components in transport and construction technology are made of sheet metal. The assessment of the fatigue life of such components has its own specificities. The initiation point of fatigue cracks is often the edges that have been formed by splitting from the original sheet metal. The cutting technology significantly affects the condition and properties of the material, as it introduces residual stresses and strain hardening into the material. In this paper, three different low carbon steel sheet materials (S355, S500, S700) will be analyzed. Comparison of the results of cyclic tests of the sheet metal specimens and different cutting technologies (punching, laser cutting, sharp edge, rounded edge) as well as analysis of fatigue crack initiation sites is presented.