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101-0121-00L 3 Credits DR , MSC D-BAUG
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Fatigue and Fracture in Materials and Structures

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Andreas Taras, Dr. Hossein Heydarinouri
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:30:37

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 crack initiation 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 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, and “Laboratory Competition”. 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. • “Laboratory Competition” at Empa: the students with the closest predictions will win the “Empa Laboratory Competition” and will be awarded by a prize.

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
Interim examinations will be conducted twice during the semester (around Weeks 5 and 10). Homework assignment will be distributed every week and will be collected a week after.The interim examinations and homework are optional, and, in case, they would worsen the total grade, they are disregarded. They function as a bonus, but not as a penalty. Students can still achieve the maximum grade of 6 in the course unit even if they only sit the final examination.- Homework (bonus 0.25 grades)- First interim written examination (15%)- Second interim written examination (15%)

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Fatigue and Fracture in Materials and Structures
  • Tue 09:45-12:30 (HIL D 10.2)
3 h weekly

Offered In