A vast amount of research has been carried out towards the goal of quantifying changes related to the fatigue damaging process in materials throughout the fatigue life. However, no recommended practice has been developed for the experimental measurement of fatigue damage before a macroscopic crack has been initiated. Therefore, this paper reviews the existing fatigue damage detection and measurement techniques on the basis of both momentum within the research field and their being considered non-destructive. The techniques are separated into two categories, namely, fatigue crack monitoring and fatigue damage monitoring. The parameters of these techniques, which quantify the physical and mechanical changes of the materials during the fatigue life, were critically reviewed in regard to the mechanism behind the change, limitations, shortcomings, etc. The acoustic emission, hardness, ultrasonic, magnetic and potential drop methods are applicable for in-situ measurements while positron annihilation and X-ray diffraction are more suitable for laboratory assessments. Even though all the revived methods are applicable for metals, acoustic emissions, X-ray diffraction, ultrasonic, strainbased and thermometric methods are also suitable for composites. The reliability, advantages, weaknesses, case/ material dependency and applicability of each method are compared and tabulated for making a framework for choosing suitable technique for fatigue crack or damage detection of material or components.

A nonlinear model is proposed in light of the theory of isodamage curves, to assess the cumulative fatigue damage under multistage loading. The isodamage curves were developed through the theory of the S-N fatigue damage envelope, proposed by Pavlou. The adopted functional form of the fatigue damage is a commonly accepted general form. In the present work, a stress function for the fatigue life exponent is derived with the aid of the S-N curve only. In the proposed nonlinear model, no adjusting parameters are necessary for fatigue damage estimation. The fatigue life prediction of the derived model is compared with experimental results of various alloys and existing models.

PurposeBrinell, Vickers and low-force Vickers hardness measurements are herein adopted to investigate and quantify the fatigue damage evolution in specimens made of S355J2+AR ferritic pearlitic steel. Though nano and microhardness measurements have been well adopted, they require a strict preparation routine, whereas macroscopic hardness measurements are not as stringent.Design/methodology/approachThe feasibility of adopting macroscopic hardness measurements as a means of measuring fatigue damage is investigated through a combination of experimental tests and finite element analyses with both Brinell and Vickers hardness indenter.FindingsIt is found that the Brinell hardness measurements method seems more feasible, regarding finding a continuous and significant change during the fatigue life, in comparison to both Vickers and low-force Vickers. Thereafter, the question regarding the feasibility of the hardness measurements as a method of assessing accumulated fatigue damage in situ is discussed.Originality/valueMuch work has previously been performed towards correlation of the micro and nano hardness indentations, which generally has stringent preparation requirements before testing. Herein, the adoption of macroscopic hardness measurements as a means of assessing accumulated fatigue damage is considered both experimentally and theoretically.

The implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies has become increasingly central in the design, construction and maintenance of both civil structures and infrastructures. As more and more software houses develop new BIM software solutions and a wide range of private and public stakeholders employ them, several educational institutes across the globe strive to expand their teaching portfolio to encompass learning and teaching of BIM. This dataset deals with the perceptions expressed by all the civil engineering undergraduate students who attended an academic course specifically about BIM at University of Stavanger (UiS), Norway, during the second semester 2022. The survey was divided into five parts and collected information regarding as many overarching aspects: socio-demographic data, perceptions about BIM before and after course attendance, satisfaction about the academic course and the way it was conducted. Considering the very moderate sample size (28 students) and potential biases due to the specific context of the University of Stavanger, the dataset can provide a useful insight into teaching approaches and future curriculum development, rather than indicating major and generalized trends in BIM education. As the questionnaire responses shed light on the feedbacks and perceptions expressed by university students dealing with BIM for their first time, the formed dataset can offer a straightforward appreciation of students’ cognitive behaviour in BIM education.