METAL FATIGUE - PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

The achievements in metal fatigue are analyzed from the very beginning up to the current soene, and some promising trends of studies in the field are reviewed briefly. An interpretation of the fatigue limit is given in relation to the level of cyclic stresses, crack length, and c rack propagation over microstructural obstacles. The problem of the gr owth of microstructurally and physically short fatigue cracks is analy zed from the standpoint of linear and elastoplastic mechanics of fract ure. The effects of the microstructure, corrosive media, stress concen trators, the coefficient of asymmetry of the loading cycle, the level of the stress applied, and surface treatment on the laws of the proces s of fatigue failure are considered, as well as the peculiaritites of the growth of fatigue cracks in complex loading.