The group explores the complex interactions between mechanical properties, particularly isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue, and the microstructures of metallic high temperature materials such as Ni based alloys and martensitic 9-12% Cr steels. The focus is on the consequences of elastic and plastic anisotropy of fatigue damage of cast Ni based alloys as well as the time and load dependent evolution of microstructures during high temperature loadings. For fatigue testing, we apply servo-hydraulic systems capable of both, axial and superimposed push-pull / torsional loading. For microstructural analyses, we use light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), including electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).