Mechanical, pressure and integrity
Fatigue and fracture mechanics
Crack growth, endurance and weld fatigue assessment for cyclically loaded equipment.
Describe your projectWhat it covers
Fatigue and fracture mechanics assesses how cyclic loads, welds and pre-existing flaws affect the life of a component. It covers stress-life and strain-life fatigue, weld fatigue to the relevant code, fracture mechanics and crack growth, and the critical flaw size that drives inspection. The engineer establishes the loading spectrum, the stress concentrations and the material data, then predicts crack initiation or growth and a safe operating or inspection interval.
When you need it
You need fatigue and fracture analysis when a component sees repeated loads, vibration, thermal cycling or pressure cycling, when a weld or detail has cracked, or when a fitness-for-service assessment finds a crack-like flaw. It is also part of design-by-analysis for pressure equipment that cycles.
Standards, codes and tools
Commonly used tools: nCode DesignLife, Ansys, Abaqus, Fe-safe.
What to look for
Look for an engineer who distinguishes crack initiation from crack growth and who can tie the analysis to a real loading spectrum, not a single load case. Ask whether they work to BS 7910 for fracture and the relevant fatigue code for welds. The output should be a life or an inspection interval you can act on, with the assumptions stated.
Common questions
What is the difference between fatigue and fracture analysis?
Fatigue analysis predicts how many load cycles a detail can take before a crack starts or grows. Fracture mechanics predicts whether an existing crack will grow and what flaw size is critical. The two are often used together to set a safe inspection interval.
What is a fatigue spectrum and why does it matter?
A fatigue spectrum is the real sequence of load ranges a component sees in service. Fatigue life is very sensitive to it, so an assessment built on the actual spectrum is far more reliable than one based on a single assumed load.
Need fatigue and fracture mechanics?
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Describe your projectRelated specialties
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Design and code verification of vessels, columns and receivers to AS 1210 and ASME VIII.
Fitness-for-service assessment
Remaining-life and flaw-acceptance assessment of ageing equipment to API 579 and BS 7910.
Rotating equipment engineering
Selection, assessment and reliability of pumps, compressors, turbines and drives.
Mechanical (plant) engineering
General mechanical design, assessment and certification of plant, equipment and structures.