There are several types of cyclic loadings as shown in Figure 1. Several terminologies are used for these cycles and they are listed below along with their definitions.
Reversed / Fully Reserved : σm = 0, R = -1
Pulsating / Repeating : σm = σa, R = 0
Alternating / Cyclic / Fluctuating : σm > 0, R >0
[1] Mechanical Properties of Materials, Joshua Pelle
This page is part of The Encyclopedia of Stresses in Solids