Analysis of cyclic creep and rupture. Part 1: bounding theorems and cyclic reference stresses

Explaining and justifying the use of cyclic reference stresses to bound creep and rupture is the objective of Part 1. Part 2 gives examples illustrating a range of structural behaviours. The methodology of these papers involves so-called approximate methods at one level, that of inferring limiting or conservative time-dependent behaviour from time-independent elastic-plastic cyclic analyses. The elastic-plastic cyclic analyses themselves are straightforward if tedious. Some ideas and a new analysis technique are available to reduce the trial-and-error.