A National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) research team has identified the mechanism by which microscopic fatigue cracks grow in metals, solving a half-century-old mystery. The team found that these cracks grow along the slip planes of metallic crystals through three-dimensional imaging of large-volume samples. Most cracks were found to be caused by a shearing force rather than the tensile forces previously thought to be responsible.
Click here for original story, Fatigue cracking mechanism in metals revealed through high-resolution, 3D imaging of large-volume samples
Source: Phys.org