In a regulated consumer industry, it is vital to test everything from individual components and materials to major assemblies and crash structures. But while the automotive sector has specific requirements for testing materials and components, the principles of fatigue remains the same both across industries and within the scope of automobiles themselves.
Fatigue is anything that involves alternating, or cyclic, stress or strain, and this loading can cause damage or cracking at stresses that are well below the yield strength of the material or component, explains Element Engaged Expert Dr. John Tartaglia.