Fatigue limit testing method for specimens

New method that allows determining the fatigue limit of metallic and non-metallic materials within hours by controlling the evolution of material damage using strain gauges. Damage is introduced through different consecutive and incremental fatigue blocks followed by loading and unloading cycles. The new method enables estimating, with just one specimen and in only 2-3 hours of testing, the fatigue limit value for a specific material and condition. The procedure has been devised to overcome the drawbacks of other similar methods, such as the use of expensive equipment (thermography), lack of reliability, limitation to metallic materials, testing complexity, and data processing. Potential application areas include the automotive, aerospace, railway, naval, energy, steel and/or composite materials production, additive manufacturing sectors, and generally any industry requiring knowledge of the fatigue behavior of the materials it uses.