Fatigue microcrack nucleation modeling: A survey of the state of the art

Many different approaches have been proposed for modeling of fatigue crack nucleation and microstructurally short fatigue crack propagation in polycrystalline metals. The mechanisms governing dislocations and slip at micro- and nanoscale have to be taken into account to be able to modify the microstructure of metals and develop materials with improved fatigue resistance. This paper reviews modeling approaches that take the microstructure into the consideration specifically from the fatigue crack nucleation point of view. Key concepts are explained, challenges described, and uncertainties discussed, followed by a comprehensive list of articles on the subject published mainly in the past decade.