Two mechanical size effects of technical interest: a simple approach

Abstract
This paper presents a simple analysis of two experimental phenomena of technical interest, the fatigue threshold for crack propagation and the particle size effect on abrasive wear rate, where plasticity is confined to very small volumes embedded in elastic media. The analysis shows that both phenomena are mainly conditioned by the contribution of the plastic deformation gradients to the local flow stress in, respectively, the plastic zone associated to the fatigue crack tip and the plastic indentations under each active abrasive particle in two-body wear.