LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MAE101.1503
ENGINEERING LABORATORY I
EXPERIMENT 1.2.4 Fatigue Failure
9/15/2014

Student: Larisa Vlad

Group Members:
James Valdez
Michael Vasquez

Instructor: Professor Yves Ngabonziza

1

ABSTRACT
In the experiment: Fatigue Failure will be examined the fatigue phenomenon for
20 paper clips. The paper clips will be used after were straighten up. The straight paper
clip will be bent to left or right to about 30 degrees, the procedure will be repeated until
the paper clip brake so will be experienced the fatigue failure. The number of cycles
required to brake the clip will be counted and recorded on sheet of paper. The paper clips
were broke by 3 different students, each one having different techniques and strengths to
load the material, therefore it was achieved various numbers of cycles needed to broke
the clips.
INTRODUCTION
Fatigue is the phenomenon leading to fracture under repeated or cyclic stresses
having a maximum value less than the tensile strength of the material. Fatigue fractures
are progressive, beginning as minute cracks that grow under the action of the cyclic
stress.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this experiment is to study the fatigue phenomenon for a simple
structural member.
APPARATUS

Twenty paper clips

Pliers

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

Straighten out one paper clip

Select a point where it is not already bent

Contain the clip with the pliers

Turn the paper clip at that point to the left and right (or back and forth) about 30
degrees.

Continuing turning until the clip brakes

Count and record the number of cycles required to break

Repeat the test for the nineteen remaining clips.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Metal fatigue occurs when a metal is exposed to repeated mechanical stresses and
eventually enough chemical bonds in the metal are broken by the mechanical stress so
that the metal fractures and breaks.
A cycle is one complete period of the recurring motions from starting + 30
degrees to -30 degrees and back again.
Obtaining a container of 20 silver paperclips, then proceeded to straighten out the
paperclips. Next, began the bending for each paperclip in 30 degree increments until the
paperclip broke. Then was recorded the number of cycles that it took for each paper clip
to break. This was recorded these results in Data Table 1, which is located below. (p. 4)

Data Table 1: Clip Number and Cycles Needed to Break the

Clip
Clip #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Cycles Needed
6
6
7
7
11
5
9
11
11
5
4
4
4
17
6
5
4
3
4
3

CONCLUSION
Because the experiment was conducted by 3 students, two students broke 6 paper
clips each and another student broke 8 paper clips and the load that each student put on
the paperclip was different, so the fatigue failure came at different number of cycles. The
variability in the results is showed in the graph located on page 4.

From Graph on page 4 it was used the value for the minimum number of cycles until
metal fatigue occurred, I determined that it would be possible to bend one of paperclips 3
cycles without it breaking and it should begin to exhibit some signs of metal fatigue at
this point.

REFERENCE
Activities and Assignements for ENGR 10100: Engineering Design Freshman Design
Manual, Benenson, Ganatos, Ghosn, Third Edition, Mc Graw Hill Custom Publishing
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/engin/sem/fatigue.html
http://www.epi-eng.com/mechanical_engineering_basics/fatigue_in_metals.htm