A round-robin analysis was conducted which evaluated and compared different methods currently in practice for predicting crack growth under random loading. This report describes the prediction method used by the Fracture Mechanics Engineering Section (FMES) at NASA-Langley Research Center. It also presents the ratios of the predicted lives to the test lives for eleven of the thirteen specimens tested.

This book offers a concise introduction to fatigue crack growth, based on practical examples. It discusses the essential concepts of fracture mechanics, fatigue crack growth under constant and variable amplitude loading and the determination of the fracture-mechanical material parameters. The book also introduces the analytical and numerical simulation of fatigue crack growth as well as crack initiation. It concludes with a detailed description of several practical case studies and some exercises. The target group includes graduate students, researchers at universities and practicing engineers.