[SOLVED] can inductors incur damage from fast switching

If a 16-18awg 1-5mH diode snubbed crossover inductor is switched with a sharp rising and falling square waveform - can it incur damage such as winding shorting out from the very high di/dt or even mechanical vibrations causing it to violently shake apart?

You consider two cases: the switch is on and off.

When the switch turns on, the load is connected and the diode is off. The load current slowly rises (depending on the inductor value) but will be limited by the load in the final value. At that stage, there will be only a small voltage drop across the inductor. There will be forces within the winding but you should use some filler (pot) the coil - that will both help in dissipating heat and mechanical forces.

When the switch is turned off, the load is disconnected, the diode is turned on, the total energy stored in the inductor is delivered to the battery back. Consider the battery similar to a capacitor. Most batteries can both act as sink or source. The diode will also dissipate some energy as heat but the inductor will be safe.

If the inductor is well made (physically), there will be mechanical stress within the turns but I do not think that will be the cause for "violently shake apart"... (forces do not cause dissipation; the motion is responsible for loss of energy)

I shall worry more about the diode.