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The fatigue crack initiation life and growth rate are affected by experimental conditions. A corrosive environment can be created in a laboratory by means of dropping salt water onto the specimen surface, spraying chloride mist into the experimental chamber, etc. In the case of smooth specimens of some metals, fatigue life is shortened and the fatigue limit disappears under such corrosive experimental conditions. In this study, the effects of intermittent spraying of 3% NaCl solution-mist on corrosion fatigue behavior were investigated. The material used was 0.37% carbon steel. This is called JIS S35C in Japan. Spraying of 3% NaCl solution-mist attacked the surface layer of the specimen. It is well known that the pitting, oxidation–reduction reaction, etc. affect the fatigue strength of metals in a corrosive environment. We carried out corrosion fatigue tests with smooth specimens, holed specimens and slit specimens. Then the effects of such specimen geometry on the fatigue strength were investigated when the NaCl solution-mist was sprayed onto the specimen surface. In the case of lower stress amplitude application in slit specimens, the fatigue life in a corrosive atmosphere was longer than that in the open air. It is discussed that the behavior is related to the crack closure which happens when the oxide builds up and clogs the crack or slit.

A method of improving the fatigue life and crack growth behavior of a center holed specimen was investigated. Local plastic deformation was applied around the hole by indentation to achieve the purpose. A series of fatigue tests was conducted on aluminum-alloy 2024-T3. Push-pull tests were performed under a stress ratio of R= -1 and a frequency of 10Hz. The observations of the crack initiation and growth were performed with a microscope, and hardness around the hole was measured by Vickers hardness testing machine. In the present study, the longest fatigue life was observed in the case of an indentation specimen with the highest load. The indentation was performed on both sides of the hole edges. The crack growth rate was decreased by indentation or expansion of the material around the hole. From the experimental results, it is found that the fatigue life and crack growth behavior of a holed or notched specimen can be improved by a simple technical method that is related to the local plastic working.