Electronic structure calculations based on density functional theory have been used to study the role of elastic, magnetic, and phonon instabilities in determining the ideal strength of iron and aluminum.

A "Holy Grail" of NDE research is a non-destructive method for measuring fatigue damage prior to crack initiation. High-Tc scanning SQUID microscopy may be a useful tool. Because of the exceptional magnetic sensitivity of this technique, fatigue damage can be detected well before microcrack initiation, and in the absence of other obvious microstructure or property changes. Given the spatial resolution of the technique, undamaged material can be located and used to set internal standards.