The main objective for the study of combined-stress fatigue is to obtain fatigue data for axles and to find the criterion for fatigue limit under combined stress. This article begins with a description of the stress states of combined stress and stress fields near crack tips. It provides an account of the various biaxial and multiaxial fatigue testing methods, specimen geometries, and stress intensity factors important in the study multiaxial fatigue. Widely used test methods are the torsion-rotating bending fatigue test and biaxial and triaxial fatigue tests. Common specimen geometries include rectangular plate specimens, cruciform specimens, compact tension shear specimens, compact shear specimens, mode II crack growth specimen, circumferentially notched cylindrical specimens, tubular specimens containing a slit, and solid cylindrical specimens containing a small hole or initial crack.

This article reviews the common methods of shear and multiaxial testing for the evaluation of engineering components such as fasteners and mill products. It discusses shear test methods, including through-thickness tests, in-plane shear tests, and double-notched shear test. The article provides information on torsional (rotational shear) tests as well as the basic equipment and setup of torsion testing. Motors, twist and torque transducers, torque sensors, and heating systems as well as the specimen preparation procedure are also discussed.

The design of components against fatigue failure may involve several considerations of irregular loading, variable temperature, and environment. This article focuses on design considerations against fatigue related to material performance under mechanical loading at constant temperature. It reviews the traditional methods of fatigue design on smooth and notched components. The article discusses high-cycle fatigue in terms of fatigue strength and tensile strength, mean stress effects, stress concentration, and multiaxial fatigue. It describes low-cycle fatigue in terms of deformation behavior and concludes with a discussion on lifetime analysis based on a strain approach.

This article discusses the need of and the strain basis for residual stress measurements and describes the nature of residual stress fields. A generic destructive stress relief procedure is described along with the issues generally involved in each procedural step. The article presents the stress reconstruction equations to be used for computational reconstruction of the stress fields from the measured strains for the destructive methods. It provides information on the sectioning, material removal, strain measurement, and chemical methods of residual stress measurement. The article reviews the semidestructive methods of residual stress measurement: blind hole drilling and ring coring, spot annealing, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Nondestructive methods such as neutron diffraction, ultrasonic velocity, and magnetic Barkhausen noise techniques, are also discussed.

This article provides an in-depth treatment on the deformation and recrystallization of titanium alloys. It provides information on the predominant mode of plastic deformation that occurs in titanium in terms of the most common crystallographic planes. The article explains the relationship of the recovery process to the recrystallization, grain-growth process, and the effects of time and temperature on stress relief. It describes the factors that influence the rate of recrystallization and the conditions required for neocrystallization to occur. The article explains the mechanism of strain hardening and its effects on the mechanical properties of titanium alloys. It also discusses the factors that influence the superplasticity of titanium alloys.

The key to any successful part development is the proper choice of material, process, and design matched to the part performance requirements. Understanding the true effects of time, temperature, and rate of loading on material performance can make the difference between a successful application and catastrophic failure. This article provides examples of reliable material performance indicators and common practices to avoid failure. Simple tools and techniques for predicting part mechanical performance integrated with manufacturing concerns, such as flow length and cycle time, are demonstrated. The article describes the prediction of mechanical part performance for stiffness, strength/impact, creep/stress relaxation, and fatigue.

This article provides information on the typical experimental observations of formation and propagation of small fatigue cracks under various stress states and explores the relation to long crack fracture mixed-mode fracture mechanics. It discusses state I crystallographic and stage II normal stress-dominated growth, along with some observations regarding the influence of combined stress state on the propagation of small cracks. The article discusses the differences between low-cycle fatigue and high-cycle fatigue (HCF) behaviors. Several other features of multiaxial fatigue are also explained, including mean stress effects, sequences of stress/strain amplitude or stress state, nonproportional loading and cycle counting, and HCF fatigue limits. In addition, the article covers the formation and propagation of cracks on the order of several grain sizes in diameter in initially isotropic and ductile structural alloys.

This article explores why structural element and subcomponent testing are conducted. It discusses the different types of failure modes in composites, and provides information on the testing methodology, fixturing, instrumentation, and data reporting. The article reviews various standard elements used to characterize composite materials for the various failure modes. Simple structural-element testing under in-plane unidirectional, multidirectional, and combined loading, as well as out-of-plane loading are discussed. Simple bolted and bonded joints, as well as data correlation are reviewed with analytical predictions. The article also provides a list of the ASTM testing standards applicable at the element level of testing for both polymer-matrix composites and metal-matrix composites. It concludes with a discussion on durability and damage tolerance testing.

This article discusses several alternative mechanical test approaches that can be applied to additive manufacturing (AM) materials, both for smaller-scale assessments and for specimens that have been extracted from an AM component. This includes small punch testing, shear punch testing, and small ring testing.

Knowledge of fatigue behavior at the laminate level is essential for understanding the fatigue life of a laminated composite structure. This article describes fatigue failure of composite laminates in terms of layer cracking, delamination, and fiber break and interface debonding. It discusses the fatigue behavior of composite laminates in the form of a relation between applied maximum fatigue stress and fatigue life. The article explains Weibull distribution and parameters estimation for fatigue data analysis and life prediction of composite laminates. It analyzes the fatigue properties and damage tolerance of fiber-metal laminates such as ARALL and GLARE laminates. The article concludes with a discussion on the effects of fatigue on notched and unnotched specimens.

This article reviews the various types of mechanical testing methods, including hardness testing; tension testing; compression testing; dynamic fracture testing; fracture toughness testing; fatigue life testing; fatigue crack growth testing; and creep, stress-rupture, and stress-relaxation testing. Shear testing, torsion testing, and formability testing are also discussed. The discussion of tension testing includes information about stress-strain curves and the properties described by them.

This article discusses the material combinations, design details, and fabrication processes considered in the adhesive bonding or melt-fuse interface (amorphous bond) bonding method of joining resin-matrix composites to metals.

Fatigue failures may occur in components subjected to fluctuating (time-dependent) loading as a result of progressive localized permanent damage described by the stages of crack initiation, cyclic crack propagation, and subsequent final fracture after a given number of load fluctuations. This article begins with an overview of fatigue properties and design life. This is followed by a description of the two approaches to fatigue, namely infinite-life criterion and finite-life criterion, along with information on damage tolerance criterion. The article then discusses the characteristics of fatigue fractures followed by a discussion on the effects of loading and stress distribution, and material condition on the microstructure of the material. In addition, general prevention and characteristics of corrosion fatigue, contact fatigue, and thermal fatigue are also presented.

In the design of composite structures for durability and damage tolerance, the primary concerns are out-of-plane failures, such as delamination, material degradation associated with environment, stability under compression loading, large degree of scatter in fatigue life, and bearing failure of joints. This article presents an introductory discussion on the fatigue damage process, methodologies assessing fatigue behavior, and life prediction models. It describes the damage mechanisms introduced for a quasi-isotropic laminate under tension-compression fatigue loading. Delamination is a critical issue in fatigue and generally results from high interlaminar normal and shear stresses. The article schematically illustrates the structural elements in which high interlaminar stresses are common. It concludes with a discussion on the classification of fatigue models such as mechanistic or phenomenological, for composite materials under cyclic loading.

This article describes concepts and tools that can be used by the failure analyst to understand and address deformation, cracking, or fracture after a stress-related failure has occurred. Issues related to the determination and use of stress are detailed. Stress is defined, and a procedure to deal with stress by determining maximum values through stress transformation is described. The article provides the stress analysis equations of typical component geometries and discusses some of the implications of the stress analysis relative to failure in components. It focuses on linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis, with some mention of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics analysis. The article describes the probabilistic aspects of fatigue and fracture. Information on crack-growth simulation of the material is also provided.

This article is a compilation of terms related to mechanical testing and evaluation of metals, plastics, ceramics, and composites.

The concept of surface integrity for grinding operations can be extended to encompass six different groups of key factors: visual, dimensional, residual stress, tribological, metallurgical, and others. This article discusses the importance of these factors in the performance and behavior of finishing methods in various manufactured parts. Special emphasis is given to residual stresses and their influence on the final mechanical properties of a manufactured part.

This article offers an overview of fatigue fundamentals, common fatigue terminology, and examples of damage morphology. It presents a summary of relevant engineering mechanics, cyclic plasticity principles, and perspective on the modern design by analysis (DBA) techniques. The article reviews fatigue assessment methods incorporated in international design and post construction codes and standards, with special emphasis on evaluating welds. Specifically, the stress-life approach, the strain-life approach, and the fracture mechanics (crack growth) approach are described. An overview of high-cycle welded fatigue methods, cycle-counting techniques, and a discussion on ratcheting are also offered. A historical synopsis of fatigue technology advancements and commentary on component design and fabrication strategies to mitigate fatigue damage and improve damage tolerance are provided. Finally, the article presents practical fatigue assessment case studies of in-service equipment (pressure vessels) that employ DBA methods.

This article describes three design-life methods or philosophies of fatigue, namely, infinite-life, finite-life, and damage tolerant. It outlines the three stages in the process of fatigue fracture: the initial fatigue damage leading to crack initiation, progressive cyclic growth of crack, and the sudden fracture of the remaining cross section. The article discusses the effects of loading and stress distribution on fatigue cracks, and reviews the fatigue behavior of materials when subjected to different loading conditions such as bending and loading. The article examines the effects of load frequency and temperature, material condition, and manufacturing practices on fatigue strength. It provides information on subsurface discontinuities, including gas porosity, inclusions, and internal bursts as well as on corrosion fatigue testing to measure rates of fatigue-crack propagation in different environments. The article concludes with a discussion on rolling-contact fatigue, macropitting, micropitting, and subcase fatigue.