This paper discusses residual strain accumulation of stainless steel under cyclic tensile loading. In fatigue tests of stainless steel carried out by the authors, the phenomenon of increased displacement during the test was observed. The phenomenon is called ratcheting and was investigated in detail by measuring the strain during fatigue tests using strain gauges. As a result, large residual strain was developed when the maximum stress during the test exceeded the 0.2% proof stress of the materials. In addition, by considering the effects of temperature and strain gauge performance on the test result, it was shown that ratcheting is negligible when the stainless steel is used below the elastic limit.
