Assessment of methods for prediction of notch and size effects at the fatigue limit based on test data by Böhm and Magin

A variety of methods are available for the assessment of notch and size effects in fatigue. The purpose of the present investigation is to rank such methods according to their predictive capability. Smooth and notched fatigue limits for 26 different specimen geometries investigated by Böhm and Magin serve as a basis for this ranking. The quality of predictions is expressed in terms of their respective coefficients of variation, COV, for the 26 specimen geometries. COV is 16% for the peak-stress approach and ranges from 12% to 10% for the theories of Peterson, Neuber and critical distances. The stress gradient, the weakest-link and the highly-stressed-volume (V90) theories yield the best predictions with COV in the range from 8% to 6%.