AbstractIn the presence of a notch, fully compressive loading has been shown to develop fatigue cracks, typically less than 1 mm in length, from the notch root in metals, cemented carbides and ceramics. The crack length is dependent on factors like load range, stress ratio, frequency and environmental influences. This paper examines the influence of these factors on crack growth in β‐alumina under compression fatigue. Results obtained support the constitutive microcracking model advanced by Brockenborough and Suresh, but are influenced by crack tip shielding and, at low frequencies, a small stress corrosion component of grow