A method for predicting fatigue life of carbon steel plain members. (Estimation based on the data sheets of Japan National Research Institute for Metals).

In modern design, it is an important task to estimate fatigue life. Although many fatigue data sheets have been published for various materials, they have large scatter, and it seems to be difficult to predict the precise fatigue lives from the raw data directly. In this paper, an effective and convenient method based on the small crack growth law and tensile strength is presented for predicting the fatigue life of plain members. The validity of this method is checked from its application to the data sheets by the National Research Institute for Metals and in other workers' experiments. The prediction is in good agreement with the experimental results over a wide range with the exception of stresses right near the fatigue limit.