Fatigue limit: Crack and notch sensitivity by Finite Fracture Mechanics

The paper investigates the fatigue feature sensitivity, considering the two standard cases of a center-through thickness sharp crack and a circular notch by the coupled criterion of Finite Fracture Mechanics (FFM). Similarly to other criteria based on a critical distance, the FFM approach involves two parameters: the plain specimen fatigue limit, and the threshold value of the stress intensity factor range for fatigue crack growth. On the contrary, the novelty of FFM is that the crack advance becomes a structural parameter, dependent on the geometry of the mechanical component. The accuracy of FFM is checked by considering experimental data available in the Literature, showing the potentiality of the coupled approach to predict size effects.