Abstract: A method for predicting the family of short fatigue crack growth (SFCG) curves -dc / dN-cis provided ,(where a is half the amplitude of the applied stress, c is half the surface crack length) from data of the near intrisic threshold range in constant Kmaxdecreasing- Ktest. Becuase the data selected are relatively stable and obtained easily, and a SFCG equation developed by A. Navarro was introduced in the present method, so the predicted SFCG behavior accounts for riot only the intrisic variance of crack growth, but also the relavance of the applied stress. Therefore, this reasonable predicting method open up a bright prospect in practising the SFCG behavior to the damage tolerant design and the safe life estimation of the component in compact structures.

Key words: short fatigue crack growth, damage tolerant design, safe life estimation