← Glossary

Crack growth rate

The distance a crack extends per load cycle. It helps estimate how fast a fatigue crack will grow under dynamic loading until final failure.

A crack acts like a notch: stress accumulates at the tip, and when the material can't take it anymore, it breaks suddenly. The stored energy then drives the crack further. In tough material, plastic deformation slows the crack; in brittle structure, it runs through almost unhindered.

MetallurgieSchweißtechnik

AI Transparency (EU AI Act): Created on the basis of our own many years of practical experience in welding technology, with the help of AI, and reviewed editorially.

© 2026 Welder-World. All content is for training and continuing education and does not replace a certified welding procedure specification.