• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.278-285
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• 1988

The Critical size of artificially induced micro-holes in 0.17%, 0.36% Carbon steel Specimens with Spheroidized Cementite and in 0.17% carbon steel specimens with martensite structure is compared with annealed pre-crack in order to discuss the physical meaning of the fatigue limit and evaluation of the tolerant micro flaw size at the stress level of the fatigue limit. Results obtained were summarized as follows; (1) In this study, non-propagating crack length of Smooth specimen and critical pre-crack length (lc) is coincide. (2) In the carbon steels with spheroidized cementite structure, critical pre-crack length (lc) and allowable micro-hole size (dc) is coincide each other at the fatigue limit level. (3) It has been published that there exists a particular size of micro-hole which has no effect on the fatigue limit. In this study, the micro-hole of critical size can be regarded as equivalent to a tolerant micro flaw which would not reduce the fatigue limit.