The centrifugal fan blades of the high-speed train ventilation and
cooling system are subjected to cyclic loading which will shorten the
life of fan blades. It could cause an accident of the high-speed-train
in service. In this study, a modified method based on the nominal stress
method was proposed and developed for the fatigue life prediction of
centrifugal fan blades. The finite element model was firstly used to
analyze the mode and the stress of fan blades based on the typical
material property. The fatigue life was predicted based on the physical
curve, using the Miner's cumulative damage rule to calculate total
damage. In order to verify the effectiveness of this method, the
experimental tests were conducted on fan blades using a fatigue bench
system, which were the typical structure of the ventilation cooling
system of the high-speed-train. The damage mechanisms of blades was
deduced from the fracture fractographs. The ventilation good correlation
was achieved between the prediction model and the actual experimental
results, testifying the practicability and effectiveness of this
proposed method. Thus, the research result can reduce the probability of
accidents caused by the fan blade damage and improve the reliability of
the ventilation cooling system of the high-speed train.