Review of published and unpublished information on characteristics of thermal fatigue and shock; effects of stresses, design, structure, carbon migration, intergranular oxidation, phase transformations, welding, etc.; occurrence of thermal fatigue and shock in various applications; testing procedures used to evaluate thermal fatigue and shock.

Thermal fatigue and thermal shock are terms used to denote the effects of temperature changes or alternating exposures at higher and lower temperatures on the life of a material. The difference between thermal fatigue and thermal shock are primarily related to the rate change of temperature and the severity of the temperature gradient. Thus, when the service life is primarily determined by the number of thermal cycles, failure is generally ascribed to thermal fatigue. However, when the severity of the temperature gradient or the rate of change in temperature is the primary cause of failure, the failure should be ascribed to thermal shock.