Metal Fatigue in Engineering

By Ralph I. Stephens

Book Overview

Classic, comprehensive, and up-to-date

Metal Fatigue in Engineering

Second Edition

For twenty years, Metal Fatigue in Engineering has served as an important textbook and reference for students and practicing engineers concerned with the design, development, and failure analysis of components, structures, and vehicles subjected to repeated loading.

Now this generously revised and expanded edition retains the best features of the original while bringing it up to date with the latest developments in the field.

As with the First Edition, this book focuses on applied engineering design, with a view to producing products that are safe, reliable, and economical. It offers in-depth coverage of today's most common analytical methods of fatigue design and fatigue life predictions/estimations for metals. Contents are arranged logically, moving from simple to more complex fatigue loading and conditions. Throughout the book, there is a full range of helpful learning aids, including worked examples and hundreds of problems, references, and figures as well as chapter summaries and "design do's and don'ts" sections to help speed and reinforce understanding of the material.

The Second Edition contains a vast amount of new information, including:
* Enhanced coverage of micro/macro fatigue mechanisms, notch strain analysis, fatigue crack growth at notches, residual stresses, digital prototyping, and fatigue design of weldments
* Nonproportional loading and critical plane approaches for multiaxial fatigue
* A new chapter on statistical aspects of fatigue

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471510599
• ISBN13: 9780471510598
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.7" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Textbook

This is an excellent textbook. It covers all of the basic aspects of metal fatigue and some topics that are left out of elementary texts; for instance, environmental effects, the fatigue of weldments and the statistical aspects of fatigue. The book begins with an excellent historical review of the subject, which contains capsule biographies of some of the most important contributors to the field. Both the stress and strain life approaches are covered, as are, crack nucleation and growth, the fatigue in notches, and variable amplitude loading. While the book is not primarily a source for fatigue data, it does contain some specific data. This book is not as detailed or comprehensive as Suresh's Fatigue of Materials, but it is, in my opinion, a much better choice as a textbook for use in a course (advanced undergraduate or graduate) on metal fatigue or as part of a course on the mechanical properties of materials. In fact, in my opinion it is currently the best choice as a textbook on the subject of fatigue.

Excellent Text on Fatigue

This is by far the best text on the topic of fatigue I've ever read. You cannot go wrong with this book. Not only do they do a fantastic job on the technical side, they also provide a beautifully prepared historical background to the topic that puts everything in perspective. Upon finishing the book the reader understands just how dynamic this topic is and has a thirst to know more. The author(s) do a superb job of explaining all aspects of fatigue including a chapter on LEFM. Each chapter has a "Do's and Don'ts of Design" section which is very informative. Each time I read one of those sections I would come across things that I had learned through many year's of experience (the hard way, if you will). These confirmations helped to solidify my opinion of the book. I should point out, the Appendix in the text on material properties is reason enough to purchase the book. The contents are very difficult to find elsewhere. If you have an interest in the topic or your career requires knowledge on the subject, this book is a must have.

Review for: Metal Fatigue in Engineering

Stephens tries to capture as much information in this book as needed for the practicing fatigue engineer. It's a great book to have on the shelf.

One of the main references for modern Fatigue Analysis

Very good book. It tackles all the main aspects of modern Fatigue Analysis. The atentive reader, following the text with a paper and pencil besdies, will extract valuable ideas for procedures. I am looking forward for books written in the same style.

Great overview with engineering data!

If there is a single book on *just* metal fatigue for your shelf, this is it. The treatment of material is rigorous without being too terse or long-winded. There's an enjoyable amount of real-world experience mixed in with the text: bits of highly relevant distilled information. Plus, there is data in the appendix that is difficult to find elsewhere (aluminum, etc).