Versailles rail accident
Videos
On 8 May 1842, a train crashed in the cutting between Meudon and Bellevue stations on the railway between Versailles and Paris, France. The train was travelling to Paris when it derailed after the lea
1842 sketch of the derailment and fire
A painting of the disaster
1849 illustration of the Notre-Dame-des-Flammes chapel
Fatigue (material)
Videos
In materials science, fatigue is the initiation and propagation of cracks in a material due to cyclic loading. Once a fatigue crack has initiated, it grows a small amount with each loading cycle, typi
Versailles rail accident
…including that of explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. The derailment led the French to abandon the practice of locking passengers in their carriages. Metal fatigue was poorly understood at the time and the disaster led to systematic research into the problem. By the late afternoon of Sunday 8 May 1842, the public…
Fracture surface of an aluminium crank arm from a bicycle. The dark area (due to oil, dirt and fretting) is a slow growth fatigue crack and may contain striations. The bright area is caused by sudden fracture.
Micrographs showing how surface fatigue cracks grow as material is further cycled. From Ewing & Humfrey, 1903
Fracture surface in a glass rod showing beach marks surrounding the initiation site.
Example of a HFMI treated steel highway bridge to avoid fatigue along the weld transition