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Fatigue and Fracture in Materials and Structures
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:25
Abstract
The fundamentals of fatigue and fracture mechanics, which are applied across various engineering disciplines, e.g., civil, mechanical, aerospace, and materials engineering, will be covered in this course. The emphasis will be on core theories and predictive models related to fatigue crack initiation.
Objective
In this course, students will learn: • Mechanisms of fatigue crack initiations in materials. • Predicition models and calculation frameworks for fatigue crack prediction. • Linear elastic fracture mechanics and calculation framework for crack propagation. • Introduction to the fatigue of welded components and addtively manufactured metals. • Basics of using ABAQUS and fe-safe FE-software for fatigue analysis. • Laboratory visit and witnessing a running fatigue test.
Content
The topics that are covered in this course are: I) Fatigue of materials: • Mechanisms of fatigue crack initiation in (ductile and brittle) metals. • Crack initiation under uniaxial loadings: Wöhler (S-N) curves, constant life diagram (CLD) approach (mean-stress effects), rainflow analysis, Miner's damage rule and Manson Method. • Crack initiation under multiaxial loading: multiaxial fatigue mechanisms, critical plane approach, critical distance theory, equivalent stress approach, proportional and non-proportional loading. • Fatigue analysis of welded components. • Introduction to fatigue analysis of additively manufactured metallic components. II) Fracture mechanics: • Linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM): stress intensity factors, crack opening displacement, mixed-mode fracture, etc. • Fatigue crack growth (FCG): FCG models, Paris' law, cyclic plastic zones, crack closure effects. III) Introduction to fatigue analysis using Finite Element (FE) software ABAQUS and fe-safe: • FE modeling of a component using CAE in ABAQUS. • Performing FE simulations and analyzing the stress and strain distributions. • Employing fe-safe for performing fatigue analysis based different fatigue prediction models. • Interpretation of the fatigue analyses and their correlation with the acquired knowledge. IV) Introduction to fatigue and fracture design in civil structures: different methods for fatigue strengthening will be disscussed. V) Visits to the Empa- Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology in Dübendorf. The students will: • Visit different small-scale and large-scale fatigue testing equipment. • Get to know different ongoing fatigue- and fracture-related projects. • Witness and help to conduct a fatigue test on a steel specimen. • Compare the experimental results with the calculations performed using the acquired fatigue theories.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Lectures are based on the lecture slides and the handouts, which will be given to the students during the semester.
Literature
1. Schijve J. Fatigue of Structures and Materials, 2008: New York: Springer. 2. Budynas, R. G., & Nisbett, J. K. (2011). Shigley's mechanical engineering design. New York: McGraw-Hill. 3. Stephens, R. I., Fatemi, A., Stephens, R. R., & Fuchs, H. O. (2000). Metal fatigue in engineering. John Wiley & Sons. 4. Budynas R.G., Nisbett J.K. Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design, 2008, New York: McGraw-Hill. 5. Socie, D., & Marquis, G. (1999). Multiaxial fatigue. SAE international. 6. Anderson T.L. Fracture Mechanics - Fundamentals and Applications, 3rd Edition, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. 2005.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DR , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- session examination
- Mode
- written 150 minutes
- Aids
- The exams will be "open book", therefore, all printed and hand-written materials are allowed. Furthermore, a calculator (without the capability of wireless/internet connectivity) is allowed
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Fatigue and Fracture in Materials and Structures | No time listed | 3 h weekly |
Offered In
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Doctorate Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (More Information at: )
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Subject Specialisation (In addition to the courses listed below, D-BAUG doctoral students are free to choose from the entire range of subject-specific courses offered by ETHZ and the University of Zurich, provided that it is an offering specifically designed for doctoral students or a course of the regular Master’s program or of the third year Bachelor’s program.)
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