Mechanisms controlling the development of surface and corner cracks during cyclic loading on samples of steel 15Kh2MFA having a variety of stress gradients has been studied. Kinetic diagrams of fatigue failure (KDFF) were plotted, and their association to the KDFF of standard samples was established. On the basis of a comparative analysis of the data showing the kinetic growth of surface and corner cracks, the possibility of using the local, mean, and effective stress intensity coefficient ranges as criteria for the growth of nonthrough cracks were examined. The conditions necessary for transferring the cyclic crack resistance characteristics obtained on standard samples to those obtained on structural elements with nonthrough cracks was established.