Fundamentals of Metal Fatigue Analysis

Rating:
Summary: Well Written but Problems with the Problems
Review: I have used this text three times for teaching a fatigue course.

This text is well written. It is clear and understandable in the presentation of concepts. It covers the right amount of material for a one semester undergraduate elective course in fatigue, however, it's too basic for gradutate level study. The three apporoaches to fatigue life analysis (stress-life, strain-life, and crack growth) are clearly explained along with a cursory but useful coverage of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics. Examples are clearly laid out. One nice feature is the summary of important concepts and equations at the end of each chapter. Another nice feature is chapter 6 which compares and reviews the strenths and limits of applicability of each method.

A full chapter should be added regarding the statistical considerations of fatigue analysis (this important topic is completely skipped). The notation used is inconsistent and confusing at times, particularly with regard to stress/strain amplitude versus range. The homework problems are sub-par. There are relatively few numerical problems compared to typical texts. There are incompletely defined problems and misleading/confusing problems. This is the weakest part of the text.