Evaluation and prediction of fatigue resistance of metals from the kinetics of variation in surface properties

The paper studies the fatigue resistance of metallic samples subjected to high-cycle loading and microhardness measurement. The fatigue damage of materials during loading is identified as decrease in the thickness of the barrier surface layer, which prevents fatigue failure. It is shown that the thickness of this layer is independent of the plastic characteristics of the material and the level of stress. A method to evaluate accumulated fatigue damage is developed. Kinetic curves of damage accumulation are analyzed. Methods to predict fatigue characteristics are proposed __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 86–95, March 2008.