In Fatigue Analysis, Cycle Counting is the process of transforming a complex, “messy” history of stress or strain over time into a set of discrete, quantifiable cycles. Most real-world structures don't experience simple, repetitive “up-and-down” loading (like a perfect sine or triangular wave). Instead, they are subjected variable vibrations. Fatigue laws, like the Palmgren-Miner Rule, require knowing exactly how many cycles occurred at specific stress (or strain) amplitudes to calculate the total damage. Cycle counting bridges that gap.