Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics: Assessing Structural Integrity in Materia

Abstract

Fatigue and fracture mechanics constitute indispensable disciplines in material science and engineering, focusing on understanding how materials respond to cyclic loading and predicting potential failure modes. This review delves into the fundamental principles, challenges, advancements, and industrial applications of fatigue and fracture mechanics. The review outlines the fundamentals of fatigue, encompassing stress concentrations, crack initiation, propagation, and the significance of theS-N curve in understanding material endurance under cyclic loading. It elucidates fracture mechanics, highlighting the stress intensity factor, fracture toughness, critical flaw sizes, and failure criteria pivotal in assessing materials with pre-existing cracks or flaws. Experimental techniques, including fatigue and fracture toughness testing, non-destructive evaluation, and computational modeling methods such as finite element analysis and multi-scale modeling, are explored. These methodologies aid in predicting fatigue life, crack propagation, and structural integrity under diverse loading conditions. Furthermore, the review underscores the widespread industry applications of fatigue and fracture mechanics across aerospace, automotive, civil engineering, manufacturing, and energy sectors. It emphasizes their role in material selection, design optimization, and maintenance strategies to ensure safety, reliability, and durability of materials and structures. Despite challenges in predicting material behaviour and variability, ongoing advancements in materials characterization, computational tools, and interdisciplinary approaches offer promising avenues. Collaborative efforts between researchers and engineers pave the way for enhanced predictive models, driving innovation in material design and structural resilience.