This book explores the essential knowledge of fatigue and fatigue failure, emphasizing its importance in the areas of mechanical engineering and structural engineering. Covering fundamental understanding of fatigue to its practical applications, this book provides comprehensive insights that can be readily applied in practical engineering problems. Rather than presenting textbook-like content on fatigue, the authors provide easy-to-understand and practical content for both general engineers and students. Moreover, they introduce the latest research findings and useful information, facilitating rapid acquisition of fatigue-related knowledge. Particularly, sections requiring expertise in fracture mechanics are minimized, ensuring easy comprehension even for readers without specialized knowledge. Designed for use in advanced undergraduate or graduate-level courses, this book is highly recommended for engineers looking to help design and management based on a holistic understanding of fatigue.

Ji-Ho Song is Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea. He received his B.S. (1969), M.S. (1971) and Dr. Engineering (1974) in Mechanical Engineering at Osaka University, Osaka, Japan, under the guidance of Professor Makoto Kikukawa. In 1975, he was Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter in Lehrstuhl Mechanik A at Technische Universität München, Germany, with the help of Professor Klaus Heckel. In 1977, he joined Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea, and then moved to Osaka University, Japan, in 1982 as Research Associate with the support of Professor Masahiro Jono. He returned to Korea in 1988 as Associate Professor at KAIST on the recommendation of Professor Youn-Yong Earmme, becoming Professor Emeritus in 2011. He received four times departmental outstanding teaching awards. His principal field of research is in fatigue and fatigue-related database and expert system.

Chung-Youb Kim is Professor in School of Mechanical Design Engineering of Chonnam National University, Yosu, Korea. He received his B.S. (1986) in Mechanical Engineering of Korea University, Seoul, Korea, M.S. (1988) and Ph.D. Degree (1993) in Mechanical Engineering of KAIST, Korea, under the guidance of Professor Ji-Ho Song. In 1993, he had worked for Mando Co. as Senior Research Engineer Durability Testing Team for Chassis Components. In 1997, he joined the Chonnam National University, Yosu, Korea. In 2008, he was Visiting Professor of Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, USA, with the help of Professor K.J. Hemker and W.N. Sharpe, Jr. His research interests include fatigue testing under random loading and analysis of thin film materials and mechanical components.