Weakness in metal caused by repeated variations of stress.
evidence suggested the plane broke up in mid air because of metal fatigue
Example sentencesExamples
- It had been sitting in a barn for many years and has some metal fatigue and corrosion.
- Metal fatigue and design imperfections make the tracks more malleable.
- There is evidence of significant metal fatigue damage to the rails in the vicinity.
- Certain welded components were particularly vulnerable to metal fatigue.
- The cause of that hole was found to be metal fatigue.
- Rust and metal fatigue have left the guns in a dangerous condition.
- The fasteners can suffer metal fatigue leading to structural failure.
- The possibility that metal fatigue could cause a bridge to fail was not even considered by bridge engineers in the 1950s and 1960s.
- The chiming mechanism broke due to metal fatigue.
- Bridges in northern climates are particularly vulnerable to metal fatigue because steel becomes more brittle, and prone to crack, when it is cold.
- The rust is extensive and there is a lot of metal fatigue.
- It had suffered metal fatigue around a weld.