Introduction to Fatigue Analysis

Fatigue concerns the progressive damage that accumulates in a material under repeated loading¹. In design, the safety factor and the stress cycle concept take center stage.

import math

def safety_factor(stress, endurance_limit):
    return endurance_limit / stress

Analysis workflow

flowchart TD
    A[Load history] --> B[Determine stress cycle]
    B --> C[S-N curve / material data]
    C --> D[Safety factor calculation]
    D --> E{Is the factor sufficient?}
    E -->|Yes| F[Design approved]
    E -->|No| G[Geometry/material revision]

References

1. TODO: course note / reference source information to be added.

Footnotes

1. Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design — fatigue damage and the S-N curve approach. ↩