Comparison between the Eurocode for fatigue of steel structures, en 1993-1-9, and the Eurocode for fatigue of aluminium structures, en 1999-1-3

The fatigue behaviour of aluminium shows not only many similarities, but also some differences with the fatigue behaviour of steel. There exist separate Eurocodes for the fatigue design of steel and of aluminium structures, EN1993-1-9 and EN1999-1-3, respectively. The latter standard was developed after the draft version of the first one was available. However, a number of aspects are considered in a different way in the two standards. Are these differences justified and desired? What can we learn from the two standards for future improvement of the documents? This paper presents and discusses the agreements and differences between the two Eurocodes. The paper evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches adopted in one or another of the two standards. It may serve as a starting point for future harmonization of the two standards.