Scheuurpunt

Scheuurpunt is a Dutch term that appears in some technical literature to denote the point at which cracking begins in a material or structure under applied load. Because the term is not standardized across disciplines, its exact meaning can vary: some authors use it to mean the first macroscopic crack, while others refer to the onset of microcrack formation detectable only by microscopy or nondestructive evaluation. In fatigue analysis, scheuurpunt may describe the initiation stage before crack growth becomes evident.

The word scheuurpunt is a compound of scheur (crack) and punt (point). In practice, writers may also encounter the variant scheurpunt or simply crack initiation, depending on the context and regional conventions.

In fracture mechanics and materials testing, the concept of an initiation point is distinguished from crack growth. Identifying scheuurpunt helps in assessing remaining life, safety margins, and damage tolerance. However, because there is no universal standard for its criteria, the observed point can depend on measurement methods, criteria for crack visibility, and the scale of observation.

See also: fracture mechanics, crack initiation, crack propagation, fatigue life, material failure, stress-strain behavior.