Definition - What does Crack Initiation mean?
Crack initiation is a process that forms cracks on the surface of a material. The primary reason for the formation of cracks on any surface is fatigue. Fatigue leads to progressive and localized structural damage when any material experiences cyclic loading. Due to cyclic loading, the material experiences continuous and repeated loads or forces at various points on the material. When such loads are high enough, they lead to crack initiation, growth of cracks and ultimately a fracture.
Corrosionpedia explains Crack Initiation
In materials science, fatigue is the weakening of a material. It is a cumulative effect that causes a material to fail after repeated applications of stress, none of which exceeds the ultimate tensile strength. The repeated stresses, strain, forces and tensile loads acting on the material is one of the reasons that cyclic loading causes fatigue. Without proper intervention or maintenance of the material, the fatigue results in:
- Crack initiation
- Slow, stable crack growth
- Rapid fracture
With such complications arising, the failure of the material occurs at lower loads and after a shorter time than normally expected.