A Survey of Fatigue Life Assessment Methods for Welded Structures of Excavators

As a key working device of excavators, the boom plays a crucial role in excavation operations and is also a high-incidence component of fatigue failure. Therefore, accurately assessing the service life and reliability of the boom is of great significance for ensuring the effective operation of construction machinery and preventing potential structural failures. This paper, based on a comprehensive analysis of various fatigue life prediction methods for excavator working devices, provides a review of the application of nominal stress method, hot spot stress method, notch stress method, and equivalent structural stress method in fatigue life prediction of excavator booms. The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these methods and provides a brief analysis, aiming to provide a scientific reference for the fatigue life assessment of excavator boom devices.