Can Fatigue Failure of Material be Demonstrated at Home Using Everyday Items?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on demonstrating fatigue failure of materials using common household items. Key methods include bending a long nail partially embedded in a block until it breaks, twisting a plastic bottle, and repeatedly bending a solid wire. Participants emphasize that torsional fatigue requires many cycles to observe, making it challenging to demonstrate manually, while axial fatigue is similarly difficult to showcase effectively.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of fatigue failure concepts
  • Familiarity with axial and torsional loading
  • Basic knowledge of material properties
  • Experience with simple mechanical experiments
NEXT STEPS
  • Research methods for demonstrating axial fatigue failure
  • Explore torsional loading experiments using household materials
  • Investigate the properties of different materials under stress
  • Learn about the mechanics of bending and twisting in materials
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students, educators, and hobbyists interested in material science, mechanical engineering, and hands-on experiments demonstrating fatigue failure.

user12323567
Messages
20
Reaction score
1
Homework Statement
What are some ways to display fatigue failure of material due to axial, bending, torsional loading using common household items?
Relevant Equations
No equations need to be invoked
What are some creative ways to display fatigue failure of material due to axial, bending, torsional loading using common household items? This is an experiment I have to do at home, I need help with some ideas
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Bang a long nail part way into a block - then bent it back and forth 'till it breaks.
Bend or twist a plastic part (perhaps a soft drink bottle) back and forth.
Bend a solid wire back and forth - with or without the insulation.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: user12323567
.Scott said:
Bang a long nail part way into a block - then bent it back and forth 'till it breaks.
Bend or twist a plastic part (perhaps a soft drink bottle) back and forth.
Bend a solid wire back and forth - with or without the insulation.
Thank you Scott! These are great ideas:)
 
Torsional fatigue often takes a long time (many cycles) and will be hard to demonstrate by hand. Axial fatigue will likely be even more difficult.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
3K