Page "Deformation (engineering)" Paragraph 15

Another deformation mechanism is metal fatigue, which occurs primarily in ductile metals.

It was originally thought that a material deformed only within the elastic range returned completely to its original state once the forces were removed.

However, faults are introduced at the molecular level with each deformation.

After many deformations, cracks will begin to appear, followed soon after by a fracture, with no apparent plastic deformation in between.

Depending on the material, shape, and how close to the elastic limit it is deformed, failure may require thousands, millions, billions, or trillions of deformations.