Simplified methodologies for the characterization of fatigue crack propagation in metallic structural materials

In several important engineering applications, the need to develop simplified mechanistically-based methodologies has become a significant factor in the development of appropriate techniques in the choice of suitable components, structures and infrastructures. Several metallic structural materials which have been used in such systems have suffered severe structural damages, due to the initiation of fatigue cracks, and in several instances, these have resulted in catastrophic structural and mechanical failures. In addition to the above, the importance of environmental and climatological considerations, including the effects of other essential variables, which can contribute significantly to fatigue crack initiation, propagation and structural failures, need to be addressed and incorporated into the formulation of any new methodologies, which may be proposed to solve the practical engineering problems in this field. The successful results of recent research work in this field are hereby presented, in order to provide practically acceptable and simple engineering methodologies, which can provide the much needed solutions to problems in several structural and mechanical engineering design applications. The important technical contributions from the recent results of engineering research in this field are hereby presented in this technical paper.