High Cycle Fatigue: A Mechanics of Materials Perspective part 2. The nomenclature used in this book may differ somewhat from what is considered standard or common usage. In such instances, this has been noted in a footnote. Additionally, units of measurement are not standard in many cases. While technical publications typically adhere to SI units these days, much of the work published by the engine manufacturers in the United States is presented using English units (pounds, inches, for example), because these are the units used as standard practice in that industry. The graphs and calculations came in those units and no attempt was made to convert. | Preface The first question a prospective reader or purchaser of this book may ask is Why another book on fatigue This is a very legitimate question because there are many books and hundreds of journal articles dealing with various aspects of fatigue including high cycle fatigue HCF . In fact in researching various aspects of HCF the author was drawn back in history to works like those of Wöhler in the late 1800s as well as many related articles on fatigue of railroad wheels and bridges. Hopefully what makes this book both unique and of technical interest is the background and history of recent HCF failures within the US Air Force and the program that evolved from the concerns raised by those failures. This book should be of value to students scientists engineers and researchers who deal with HCF. However the main audience for this book is the practicing engineer who has to deal with HCF from design or analysis point of view. The book can also serve as a supplement to graduate level courses that delve into almost any aspect of HCF or as the basis for continuing education short courses. The book has been put together in the form of a series of review articles on the various aspects of HCF which are both of importance and which have not been covered extensively in one place in the open literature. From this perspective it should be of use to researchers and scientists dealing with any of a wide variety of topics associated with HCF. It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of fracture mechanics a background that includes mechanics of materials and some knowledge of general fatigue concepts. Where appropriate the reader is referred to some general references for more complete coverage of certain topics that cannot be covered completely in this book. The book is written at a slightly higher level and with more detail than many books on mechanical behavior fatigue design or materials. There is no intent to duplicate the existing literature but rather to expand
