Metal fracture
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Why do metals suffer from fatigue fracture under alternating stress
When a component is subjected to long-term alternating stresses, and although the stresses it experiences are much lower than the material’s yield limit, failure occurs without any significant plastic deformation; this phenomenon is known as metal fatigue. Failure that occurs due to metal fatigue is known as fatigue failure. The cause of this failure is that, after repeated alternating stresses, tiny cracks appear in areas where the stress is highest or where there are defects; severe stress concentration occurs at the tips of these cracks. As the number of cyclic stress applications increases, the cracks gradually expand, eventually leading to fracture.