Moshrefifar and Azamfar method, a new cycle counting method for evaluating fatigue life

•This method leads to the results observing the maximum required safety and avoiding excessive conservativeness.•This method able to find cycles with larger amplitudes and use them for the fatigue analysis.•This method is more straightforward and can be readily translated into codes for the development of computer based analyses.•This method leads to more reasonable estimations in comparison with Peak counting method.•C applicable program written requires only the extremum values of the loading history regardless of their order of the loading effect.

It is shown in present study that Rainflow method is unable to accurately estimate fatigue life of components under random loading, almost always. The inconsistencies between results of Rainflow method and hysteresis curve are also discussed. Alike the Peak counting method, it is shown that Shadow method doesn’t consider the possibility of deformation within individual cycles. Hence, Moshrefifar and Azamfar method is proposed as a novel technique having accurate results in different analytical conditions which are in good consistence with results obtained from hysteresis curves. Authors finally propose an algorithm as well as a C language program for this method.