Fatigue and Fracture Behavior of Metallic Components and Structures Under Various Loading Conditions

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Structural Integrity of Metals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 501

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Department of Mechanics and Machine Design, Opole University of Technology, Prószkowska 76 Street, 45-758 Opole, Poland
Interests: material fatigue; fatigue testing; multiaxial fatigue; strength of materials; FEM
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Dear Colleagues,

Metals and alloys continue to be fundamental in the design and construction of load-bearing structures and mechanical components, with ferrous and non-ferrous alloys serving a wide range of applications across industrial fields (e.g., automotive, aerospace, marine, construction, manufacturing), and shaped by both traditional and advanced manufacturing methods (e.g., additive manufacturing).

Metallic structures and components can experience various types of fatigue loading, including constant amplitude, variable amplitude, and random loadings encountered during service.

The evaluation of the fatigue and fracture behavior of components can be addressed by theoretical and numerical methods—often validated by experimental data—that prove to be the most suitable for the specific loading condition. The objective may range from basic material characterization to the development of a broader framework for structural integrity assessment. For instance, theoretical methods can be seamlessly integrated into a finite element model and later validated using laboratory test data from small-to-medium-scale specimens or large structural components.

This Special Issue aims to gather contributions that provide an updated perspective on fatigue and fracture behavior, and on the structural integrity of metallic components subjected to various loading conditions. Theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies—as well as engineering case studies and practical applications—are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Denis Benasciutti
Prof. Dr. Adam Niesłony
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • fatigue
  • fracture
  • structural integrity
  • constant amplitude loading
  • variable amplitude loading
  • vibration fatigue
  • additive manufacturing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 9681 KB  
Article
Effects of Pre-Peening on Fatigue Performance of Gas-Nitrided SCM 440 Steel
by Hao Chen, Tai-Cheng Chen, Wen-Han Chen, Hsiao-Hung Hsu and Leu-Wen Tsay
Metals 2025, 15(10), 1118; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15101118 - 9 Oct 2025
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Abstract
Gas nitriding was implemented in the current work at a constant nitrogen potential (KN) of 2.0 for 8 h to enhance the fatigue properties of SCM 440 steel, and the results were compared with those of the substrate tempered at the [...] Read more.
Gas nitriding was implemented in the current work at a constant nitrogen potential (KN) of 2.0 for 8 h to enhance the fatigue properties of SCM 440 steel, and the results were compared with those of the substrate tempered at the nitriding temperature (475 °C). Fine particle peening (FPP) prior to nitriding imposed a refined structure and induced compressive residual stress (CRS) in the near-surface peened zone. The fine-grained structure provided numerous paths to enhance nitrogen diffusion inwards during nitriding. The compound layer formed on the nitrided SCM 440 steel primarily comprised a mixture of Fe3N and Fe4N; however, the pre-peened and nitrided (SPN) specimens exhibited a higher proportion of Fe3N and a thicker compound layer than the non-peened and nitrided (NPN) counterparts. In addition, FPP prior to nitriding increased both the case depth and the magnitude of the CRS field compared with nitriding alone. The fatigue limits of the substrate (SB), NPN, and SPN samples were approximately 750, 1050, and 1400 MPa, respectively. Gas-nitriding at 475 °C significantly improved the fatigue performance of SCM 440 steel. Moreover, pre-peening prior to nitriding further enhanced fatigue strength and life of the treated SCM 440 steel by introducing a deeper case depth and higher CRS field. Multiple cracks initiation at the outer surface of the SB sample accounted for its lowest fatigue limit among the tested samples. Surface microcracks and pits on the surface of the NPN specimen would be crack initiation sites and harmful to its fatigue resistance. These surface dents were considered to be responsible for fatigue crack initiation in the SPN specimens. Therefore, polishing after nitriding to reduce surface roughness and/or microcracks was expected to further increase the fatigue resistance and the reliability of nitrided SCM 440 steel. Full article
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