Despite intensive research has been carried out to understand the fatigue behaviour of steel notched geometries, under variable amplitude loading, no definite and general robust models have been derived so far. Therefore, any effort to increment the knowledge in the topic is welcome. Within this premise, it is proposed an assessment of existing variable amplitude data (spectrum block loading), which has been derived by authors for a notched geometry, made from a low carbon pressure vessel steel

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... (P355NL1), within the local approaches and linear damage summation framework, and supported by elastoplastic finite element analyses. Several blocks are analyzed using elastoplastic finite element analysis with Mises plasticity theory and Chaboche's nonlinear kinematic hardening. The predictions are assessed using available experimental fatigue data as well as with predictions made with simplified elastoplastic analyses. This paper highlights the difficulties on performing the elastoplastic analysis and compares the obtained results with those obtained using simplified classical tools for elastoplastic analysis. Fatigue predictions based on elastoplastic analysis made using the Chaboche's model with four parameters were more accurate than predictions based on simplified elastoplastic analysis.