Microstructural processes during high cycle fatigue are investigated according to plastic-strain hardening, crack formation, crack propagation and fracture. It is shown that the fatigue test resembles the uniaxial tensile test. The logarithm of the number of cycles to failure is proportional to the elongation in the tensile test. Under high cycle fatigue test, the strain is normally elastic. If the strain is absolutly elastic, fatigue could not result. But this is over simplication. Nearly all metals undergo a minor amount of plastic strain even at low stress. Damage accumulation leadling to crack formation can continue in the persistent slip bands at very low average plastic strain amplitude. In the ten­s sile test the overall specimen follows the failure procedure whilst in the high cycle fatigue test the local persistent slip band follows the failure procedure. However accumulations of strain per unit volume in the deforming region before failure in both cases are equal locally.