A residual stress dependent multiaxial fatigue life model of welded structures

In this paper, the influence of the residual stress on the fatigue performance of a welded structure under multiaxial loading modes is studied. First, the local stress state at weld toe is modified via introduction of the residual stress, and a new fatigue life estimation model considering the effect of the residual stress is established by modifying our recently proposed critical plane method. Second, the basic theory and procedure of the finite element simulation on the calculation of the welding residual stress are presented. Finally, a numerical simulation of an aluminum alloy flange‐to‐tube welding process is conducted, and the calculated residual stress is verified with X‐ray diffraction measurement. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed fatigue life estimation model is verified by the experimental data obtained in the fatigue test under different loading modes. It confirms that the consideration of the residual stress is important, especially under the out‐of‐phase loading mode.     

Consideration of the residual stress distributions in fatigue crack growth calculations for assessing welded steel joints

To better understand the crack closure and propagation, an analytical model is established. The residual stress effect on fatigue crack growth equations has been considered using the residual stress intensity factor (SIF) (K_res). The joint geometries, residual stress distributions (σ_res) and residual stress ratio (R_res) were considered also. K_res are calculated using the analytical weight function (WF) method and different residual stress distributions. It is to be emphasized that the current approach is little investigated. This is because the WF has already been developed to calculate SIF for an existing crack. The current approach calculates K_res for the crack that initiates and propagates until failure. Different stress distributions have been used, and R_res is defined. The validity of using the WF has been shown. SIF due to applied load (K_app) and applied stress ratio (R_app) have been considered. Fatigue crack growth rate was investigated in accordance with the current approach. The results have been verified and benchmarked.     

Numerical and experimental validation of residual stresses of laser‐welded joints and their influence on the fatigue behaviour

In this work laser‐welded tube‐tube specimens made of aluminium alloys AlMg3.5Mn and AlSi1MgMn T6 were experimentally tested under constant and variable amplitude loading, under pure axial and pure torsion loading. In order to evaluate the influence on fatigue behaviour of the residual stresses, because of the welding process, some specimens were subjected to postweld heat treatment and then were tested. The numerical analyses, using finite element (FE), were carried out to obtain a reliable estimation of the residual stress in the specimen. The numerical results were in a good agreement with experimental ones obtained by means of hole‐drilling method. Finally, the residual stress distribution was superimposed to stress distribution because of fatigue loads obtained by FE analyses applying local concept, to calculate the stresses in the crack initiation zone and to understand the different types of failure that occurred in as‐welded and relieved specimens.     

Fatigue analysis of multipass welded joints considering residual stresses

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is one of the most used joining method in the industry. However, one of the main problems of this process is the generation of residual stresses (RS). There are different approaches to predict the fatigue life of welded joints, but in general, these approaches do not consider the real value of RS. Therefore, the current approaches to estimate fatigue life of welded components are conservatives.This paper describes an alternative method to asses high cycle fatigue (HCF) life prediction based on numerically estimated RS values. Results have shown good correspondence for the HCF range, with a maximum average error of 15% in stress for the studied configurations. The proposed method can be used as a valid tool to optimise the geometry of the component and thus decrease the economic cost.     

Thickness effects on the fatigue strength of welded steel cruciforms

Over 100 fatigue tests were conducted on high strength welded steel (HSLA-80) cruciforms of different thickness. Tests were conducted under both constant and random amplitude axial loads to characterize thickness effects on fatigue strength. Specimens were similar in size, except for the thickness which was varied between four nominal values. Examination of both experimental and analytical results (obtained using linear cumulative damage and Rayleigh approximation) indicates thicker specimens exhibit lower fatigue lives under both constant and random amplitude loadings. These results, when compared with the commonly used ‘fourth root rule' thickness correction formula, indicate the latter to be generally conservative, particularly at low stress levels.     

Effects of type of shielding gas upon local mechanical properties of laser welded joint in heat‐treatable steel

Small additions of oxygen or carbon dioxide to argon shielding at laser beam welding can increase welding speed and productivity and decrease the mechanical properties of welded joints. The effect of the type of active shielding gas mixtures based on argon with additions of oxygen and/or carbon dioxide upon the local mechanical properties of laser welded joints of heat‐treatable steel 25 CrMo 4 was studied. Microshear test method has been used to investigate the local mechanical properties of welded joints, including microshear strength, microshear plasticity and microshear thoughness. The obtained data were statistically processed, and a mathematical modeling of mechanical properties applying the method of response surfaces was carried out. The analysis revealed that the impact of the used shielding gas mixtures upon the local mechanical properties of the joint is not very significant. The results indicate that the microshear test can be used successfully for estimation of the local mechanical properties distribution of laser welded joints.     

Experimental and numerical characterization of low cycle fatigue and creep fatigue behaviour of P92 steel welded joint

Low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep fatigue interaction (CFI) behaviour of P92 steel welded joint were investigated experimentally and numerically. Strain‐controlled LCF tests at different strain amplitudes and CFI tests at different peak strain holding time were conducted. Evolutions of cyclic stress response, mean stress, and creep strain during cycling were described, in which the influence of strain amplitude and holding time were investigated. A specific heat treatment process was proposed to get the homogenous simulated material of fine grain region and coarse grain region in the heat affected zone. Material parameters of parent material, fine grain heat affected zone, coarse grain heat affected zone, and weld metal in the unified viscoplasticity model were then determined and validated. To predict the LCF and CFI behaviour of welded joint, 3‐dimensional unified viscoplasticity model with a modified isotropic variable was compiled into ABAQUS UMAT. The comparison between the predicted and experimental result under LCF and CFI loadings showed that the simulation results were reasonable and agreed with the experimental data well.     

Unique fatigue threshold and growth properties of welded joints in a tensile residual stress field

The fatigue threshold and high growth rate region properties were investigated on several kinds of welded joints. These properties became unique in spite of the variation of steels (ferrite-pearite, martensite, austenite), welding method, heat input and stress ratio. It was revealed that the unique properties occurred from the fully opened fatigue crack due to the tensile residual stresses. Based on these results, the equation of the fatigue crack growth curve for the design and inspection of welded structures was proposed. It is also suggested that the inducement of compressive residual stress at the fatigue critical zone is effective in improving the fatigue properties of welded structures.     

Experimental evaluation of fatigue behaviour of thin Al5456 welded joints

Because of wide applications of welded structures in different industries, using design codes and standards such as IIW recommendations is known as a safe and common method to design welded joints. The weld geometry and thickness of welded joint are the most important parameters that affect the fatigue strength of welded joints. In the present study, the fatigue behaviour of thin Al5456 butt‐welded joints has been investigated, and the effect of thickness on fatigue strength has been evaluated. Contrary to the above‐mentioned recommendations about thin welded joints, it was shown that the thickness of welded joints affects the fatigue strength. Moreover, the fatigue test results have been compared with the IIW design recommendations for three well‐known approaches in order to analyse the reliability of the codes. According to the design stress‐life diagrams, it was found that in some cases, the fatigue strength has much larger values than the IIW predictions, and IIW‐based design causes an over conservative design. While in some other cases, the fatigue strength is lower than IIW recommendations, and it leads to a non‐conservative design. Based on the experimental results, the new values for slope of S‐N curve and FAT have been proposed in order to improve the design diagrams.     

Fatigue of welded hybrid‐joints

Only for steels up to grade S690QL the well‐known fact is confirmed that the fatigue strength of welded joints is independent of the material. For higher strength steels a remarkable reduction of the fatigue strength is found. Some advice is given for designers in which situations the one or the other of the various approaches for the assessment of the fatigue strength of welds could be applied. In complex, real situations even the highly sophisticated effective notch stress approach might loose its applicability. A new alternative approach is proposed for these situations. It is based on stresses in real notches and an example is presented for the familiar case of a start‐stop position.     

Prediction of fatigue life of metallic structures with welded joints using automatic learning systems

Welded metallic joints are prone to fatigue damage, which may lead to sudden and catastrophic structural failure. In this research, fatigue failures of metallic structures with welded joints are analyzed using an approach based on automatic learning technology. A database of physics-based parameters, including material properties, loading histories, and stresses around potential cracking sites, is constructed based on experimental results and numerical analyses. Various automatic learning tools are used to search for the mathematical formulas and data patterns embedded in the database. The obtained rules and formulas can be used to support design of welded metallic structures. This approach provides a new way to locate fatigue-prone areas, predict fatigue lives, and may lead to designs of more fatigue resistant structures. It complements the classical deterministic and statistical fatigue failure predictions.     

Measurement of residual stresses in a multi-layer explosive welded joint with successive milling technique

In the multi-layer welded joint of titanium-tantalum (Ti-5Ta/Ti-5Ta/Ta/substrate of stainless steel (SUS304) the second layer of plate Ti-5Ta is 4mm thick, and the third plate Ta is only 1 mm thick. It is almost impossible to measure the stresses near the weld with cutting strip technique. Using a successive milling technique the inplane elastic strain releases normal to the thickness direction are measured. With the finite element method (FEM) inherent strain distribution along thickness z-direction is evaluated according to the elastic strain releases. Subsequently, assuming that the inherent strains (plastic strains resulting from the welding process) are the initial strains of the FEM analysis for the welded residual stresses, these are used further to evaluate the residual stress distributions along the thickness z-direction in the multi-layer explosive welding joint.     

Effects of welding speed on the multiscale residual stresses in frictionstir welded metal matrix composites

The effects of welding speed on the macroscopic and microscopic residual stresses(RSes) in friction stir welded 17 vol.% SiCp/2009 Al-T4 composite plates were studied via neutron diffraction and an improved decoupled hierarchical multiscale modeling methods. Measurements showed that the macroscopic and total RSes had the largest variations in the longitudinal direction(LD). Increasing the welding speed led to higher values of measured LD macroscopic and total RSes in the matrix. The welding speed also significantly influenced the distributions and magnitudes of the microscopic RSes. The RSes were predicted via an improved hierarchical multiscale model, which includes a constant coefficient of friction based thermal model. The RSes in the composite plates before friction stir welding(FSW) were computed and then set as the initial states of the FSW process during modeling. This improved decoupled multiscale model provided improved predictions of the temperature and RSes compared with our previous model.     

Influence of overloading on fatigue durability and stability of residual stresses in shot peened normalized steel

The present investigation deals with the effect of overloads on the stress relaxation and fatigue life time of shot-peened near-pearlitic steels. Single cycles with a total strain amplitude of 0.6% with start in tension or compression were exerted either at the very beginning or after 1000 cycles and superimposed on the constant total strain amplitude test at 0.3%. The results were compared with the constant amplitude test data. It was shown that such overloading can reduce the fatigue life time by 25-60% of the life time obtained in constant amplitude tests. Maximum amount of reduction was obtained in overloading histories started with straining in tension. The stress amplitudes and corresponding mean stress development after overloading were also recorded and used to interpret the effects of overloads on the fatigue life times. In addition the residual stress relaxation throughout the whole lifetime was followed.     

The measurement of the distribution of residual stresses through the thickness of a welded joint

A new method for the measurement of residual stresses in welded joints of complex cross section is described. The method involves the measurement of strain changes in the body as a narrow slot is cut in the plane of interest, in small increments of depth. A finite element model of the cross section is used to relate the strain changes at the measurement points to the residual stresses across the slot plane.
The accuracy of the method is demonstrated by using it to measure a known residual stress field in a cold bent bar. The method has been used in combination with a block removal technique to measure the through wall distribution of axial residual stresses at a circumferential butt weld in a cylinder with a protruding root bead. It could also be applied to the measurement of residual stresses in other joint configurations, such as fillet welds or T-butt welds.     

Predicting the effects of material properties gradient and residual stresses on the bending fatigue strength of induction hardened aeronautical gears

This paper proposes an experimental methodology to characterize complex parts presenting various gradients using aeronautical induction surface hardened spur gears. A 3D fatigue model taking into account residual stresses, microstructure variations, and surface roughness is then proposed for the prediction of the bending endurance limit. The model is based on the well-known Crossland criterion; calibrated with representative axial and torsion laboratory specimens. The results are compared with testing performed on a custom-made single tooth bending fatigue (STBF) rig. Fracture surface analysis using electronic microscopy is used to investigate the crack initiation sites. It is shown that residual stresses can have a significant impact on bending fatigue and that two induction treatments can present very different fatigue resistance even if the shape and depth of the hardened layer is identical in the root. The proposed methodology could be adapted to other geometries and surface treatments.     

Stability of shot peening induced residual stresses and their influence on fatigue lifetime

Mechanical surface treatment methods such as shot peening may improve the fatigue strength of materials. In this study, the effect of shot peening on strain controlled constant amplitude fatigue loading of a near pearlitic microalloyed steel was investigated. The stress amplitudes throughout the whole lifetime were followed, in addition to detailed recording of stress-strain hysteresis loops, particularly at small cycle numbers. The detailed relaxation of residual stresses and the changes in full width of half maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray peak at the surface and in depth as function of the number of cycles and plastic strain were recorded. By these techniques, the onset as well as the rate of relaxation of residual stresses could be followed at different strain amplitudes. Pronounced increase in lifetime of the shot peened specimens tested at total strain amplitude smaller than 0.3% (corresponding to 0.034% plastic strain amplitude) was achieved. This coincides with reasonably stable residual stresses at the surface and in depth.     

Multiaxial fatigue life assessment of welded structures

Welded structures, such as welded pressure vessel components subjected to multiaxial cyclic loading, are particularly susceptible to fatigue damage. In this paper, a new path-length-based effective stress range is proposed to assess the fatigue life of weld joints under multiaxial fatigue loading. The path-length measure, a function of both normal and shear components on a critical crack plane, has a solid root in classic fracture mechanics and its application is validated by correlating nominal fatigue data including pure-bending, pure-torsion, in-phase, and out-of-phase loading. Path-Dependent Maximum Range (PDMR), a unique general-purpose fatigue life assessment package for multiaxial variable-amplitude loading, is introduced in this paper. Finally, the application of PDMR to multiaxial fatigue life assessment of complex loading cases is also discussed.     

On the use of nominal stresses to predict the fatigue strength of welded joints under biaxial cyclic loading

In this paper, the modified Wöhler curve method proposed by Susmel and Lazzarin is employed to predict the fatigue life of welded connections subjected to biaxial cyclic loading. This criterion is reformulated here in order not to take into account the mean stress effect, as suggested by several design codes (at least when welded connections are not completely stress relieved). The accuracy of the proposed method in fatigue lifetime estimation was evaluated by using a number of data sets taken from the literature. The modified Wöhler curve method was applied in terms of nominal stresses and was calibrated using the uniaxial and torsional fatigue curve determined by reanalysing the experimental data, as well as using the standard fatigue curves of the Eurocode 3. The proposed approach was seen to be successful, giving multiaxial fatigue life predictions located within the widest scatter band related either to uniaxial or to torsional data, independently of both out‐of‐phase angle and load ratio value. Finally, the accuracy of the modified Wöhler curve method was compared to the one obtained by applying the procedure suggested by the Eurocode 3: the proposed criterion is demonstrated to be much more accurate and reliable than the standard one.     

Fatigue life prediction for butt‐welded joints considering weld‐induced residual stresses and initial damage,relaxation of residual stress,and elasto‐plastic fatigue damage

Fatigue damage of butt‐welded joints is investigated by a damage mechanics method. First, the weld‐induced residual stresses are determined by using a sequentially coupled thermo‐mechanical finite element analysis. The plastic damage of material is then calculated with the use of Lemaitre's plastic damage model. Second, during the subsequent fatigue damage analysis, the residual stresses are superimposed on the fatigue loading, and the weld‐induced plastic damage is considered as the initial damage via an elasto‐plastic fatigue damage model. Finally, the fatigue damage evolution, the relaxation of residual stress, and the fatigue lives of the joints are evaluated using a numerical implementation. The predicted results agree well with the experimental data.