<正> Rolling Contact Fatigue(RCF) is a cumulativedamage phenomenon when metals are subjectedto repeated contact stresses. The fomationof pitting on the contact surface is the resultof the rolling contact fatigue. The morphologiesof rolling contact fatigue fracture of the har-dened steels (86CrHoV7, 42CrMo) show that strongresemblance in fractuye mechanisms exists betweenrolling contact fatigue and uni-axial fatigue.Since fatigue striations are hardly observedin hardened steels under uni-axial fatigue,it is interesting to note that the state ofstress in rolling contact fatigue is more favor-able to ductile fractures than in uni-axialfatigue.