It is known that the fatigue strength decreases in corrosive environment and many experiments were carried out to comprehend the decrease in fatigue strength in corrosive environment. In order to comprehend the actual state, a cycle speed of fatigue test loads should correspond to a wave frequency. Therefore, an experiment in the long life region is practically difficult, then the corrosion fatigue data available for the life assessment of the structure is quite limited.
In this study, the fatigue strength of the welded joints in long life service was evaluated according to the calculations of corrosion fatigue crack propagation subjected to the random loadings which followed an exponential distribution. In the crack propagation calculations, the progress of corrosion wastage from the plate surface and the resultant stress increase were considered simultaneously. In the high stress and the short life region, the decrease in fatigue strength due to the accelerated crack propagation in corrosive environment was dominant because the progress of corrosion wastage was little. On the other hand, in the low stress and the long life region, the decrease in fatigue strength became dull as longer the fatigue life because the corrosion fatigue crack propagation was suppressed by the corrosion wastage, but after that the fatigue strength showed the precipitous decrease due to the increase in stress resulted by the progress of corrosion wastage.
