Fatigue Characterization and Testing of Materials

Fatigue is the progressive and localized structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading. In many cases, fatigue failures occur suddenly with little warning and so it is important to design structures to resist fatigue failure. While it can be technically challenging to simulate fatigue failure, it is possible to get accurate fatigue life calculations by using specific and reliable material data.

In this webinar, we consider how material fatigue properties used in fatigue simulation are determined from laboratory tests. We will review the very first ‘rotating-bend’ test invented by August Wöhler through to the popular ‘load-control’ and ‘strain-control’ test procedures used today. Particular consideration is paid to ‘characterizing the material’ to derive a ‘design curve’ for use in component fatigue analysis.

By the end of the presentation, attendees will have gained an understanding of the process of fatigue testing, material characterisation and the effect of statistical analysis on the results.

This 45-minute webinar will concentrate on:

• An introduction to metal fatigue and fatigue testing
• Material characterisation accounting for statistical reliability and confidence
• How many specimens to test
• How to validate replacement materials
• How to compare the performance of materials from different suppliers