Probabilistic optimization of welded joints maintenance versus fatigue and fracture

This paper presents a probabilistic maintenance optimization procedure for welded joints damaged by fatigue. The linear elastic fracture mechanics stands as a basis for fatigue crack growth while the crack depth at failure is determined according to brittle or ductile fracture. The first order reliability method being applied, the assessment is then based on reliability indices. At an inspection instant, different events can occur: no crack detection, crack detection, and repair. All these events are uncertain and are expressed in terms of probabilities. As they are cost-dependent, the total expected cost of maintenance could be obtained. The inspection instant is therefore searched by minimizing that total expected cost. Such an approach appears as a good compromise between reliability and costs. The paper provides some sensitivity studies and an application on a real case.     

The effect of two-frequency low-cycle loading on the fatigue life of steels and welded joints

Some parts of nuclear power equipment (NPE) are subjected mostly to two-frequency loading during their service. Oscillations with a lower stress amplitude are superimposed on the basic slow loading with high stress (or strain) amplitude. The damage cumulation law, which is valid relatively well for random loading, seems to be less suitable for two-frequency loading. According to the design specifications [1] the service life of parts at two-frequency loading may be 10 to 20 times lower than that at single-frequency loading. The decrease in life depends on both the ratio of loading frequencies and amplitudes, and the material characteristics.Published inProblemy Prochnosti, Nos. 1–2, pp. 118–125, January–February, 1995.     

Mean stress effects in fatigue of welded steel joints

Mean stress effects in steel weldments were examined under both constant and random narrowband amplitude fatigue loadings. The purpose of these tests was to provide experimental data with which to substantiate the use of analytical expressions to account for mean stress effects. Fatigue tests were performed under both tensile and compressive mean stress levels. Test results indicate agreement with the modified Goodman equation to be favorable in accounting for the effect of tensile mean stresses on fatigue life. However, test results from high fatigue loadings (maximum stresses nominally above half ultimate) were found to possess better agreement with the Gerber formulation than with the modified Goodman one. Behavior under compressive mean stresses indicated a linear correction relationship was required, which was less conservative than any of the relationships considered. Test results obtained under random amplitude fatigue loadings exhibited trends similar to those observed under constant amplitude loadings. This finding, along with supporting analysis, indicates that the same correction relationship can be used in the same manner for both constant amplitude and random (narrowband) amplitude loadings.     

Influence of post weld treatments on the fatigue behaviour of Al-alloy welded joints

In this paper the influence of different post welding treatments, such as ageing or shot peening, on the fatigue behaviour of Al-alloy welded joints was investigated. The analysed joints were candidates for car structural applications. Several four point bending fatigue tests were conducted on GMAW specimens subjected to different post weld treatments. The residual stress field acting on specimens was measured by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The results of tests were discussed with the aid of a finite element model of the specimen aimed to calculate the actual fatigue cycle, also taking account of residual stresses and of their redistribution during the test. This allowed to characterize the fatigue resistance of the joints, taking account of the effective stress acting in the region of crack initiation.     

Improvement of the mechanical characteristics and corrosion resistance of welded joints of maraging steels

We show that the specific character of a structural state of welded joints of Kh11N10M2T steel as a sequence of structural changes in the course of accelerated heating of maraging steels causes a regular inhomogeneity of their mechanical characteristics and low corrosion resistance. We develop a procedure of thermal treatment which guarantees homogeneity of welded joints in strength, plasticity, and toughness. The mechanical characteristics and corrosion resistance of these joints correspond to those of the base metal that is reached due to both removal of interdendritic liquating inhomogeneity of the weld metal and equalization of the structure and phase composition in all zones of a welded joint. Institute of Mechanics, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kiev. Translated from Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 47–54, January–February, 1999.     

From a local stress approach to fracture mechanics: a comprehensive evaluation of the fatigue strength of welded joints

This paper investigates the possibility of unifying different criteria concerned with the fatigue strength of welded joints. In particular, it compares estimates based on local stress fields due to geometry (evaluated without any crack-like defect) and residual life predictions in the presence of a crack, according to LEFM. Fatigue strength results already reported in the literature for transverse non-load-carrying fillet welds are used as an experimental database. Nominal stress ranges were largely scattered, due to large variations of joint geometrical parameters. The scatter band greatly reduces as soon as a 0.3-mm virtual crack is introduced at the weld toe, and the behaviour of the joints is given in terms of Δ K _I versus total life fatigue. Such calculations, not different from residual life predictions, are easily performed by using the local stress distributions determined near the weld toes in the absence of crack-like defects. More precisely, the analytical expressions for K _I are based on a simple combination of the notch stress intensity factors K ₁^N and K ₂^N for opening and sliding modes. Then, fatigue strength predictions, as accurate as those based on fracture mechanics, are performed by the local stress analysis in a simpler way.     

Notch stress concepts for the fatigue assessment of welded joints - Background and applications

Among modern fatigue design concepts for welded structures, the linear-elastic notch stress concept gains increasing industrial acceptance. There are two variants of this concept, one for thick walled (t ? 5 mm) welded joints with the reference radius r_ref = 1.00 mm, which is already included in the fatigue design recommendations of the IIW and applied for the assessment of big welded structures, and one for thin walled (t < 5 mm) welded joints with the reference radius r_ref = 0.05 mm, which is more and more used in the automotive industry.The concept with r_ref = 1.00 mm is based on the micro-support theory of Neuber with the fictitious radius r_ref = 1.00 mm, derived by Radaj. The background of the concept with r_ref = 0.05 mm is the relationship between the stress-intensity factor and the notch stress according to Creager and Paris as well as Irvin’s theory of crack blunting. Besides these two theories, the definition of both of these radii has also an experimental background; they are observed in many welded joints.In the present paper, first the background and then different applications of both concept variants are described: the application of the reference radius of r_ref = 1.00 mm for MAG-welded offshore K-nodes (t = 30 mm) and sandwich panels for ship decks (t = 5 mm), and the application of r_ref = 0.05 mm for spot-welded automotive doors (t = 1 mm) and MAG-welded automotive trailing links (t = 3-4 mm). The sandwich panels were evaluated additionally with r_ref = 0.05 mm. Calculations and experimental results are compared and the reliability of the notch stress concept variants underlined. Additionally, recommendations for the slope of design lines distinguishing between thin and thick dimensions are given, i.e. k = 3.0 and 5.0 (normal stress, shear stress) for thick and stiff structures, k = 5.0 and 7.0 for thin and flexible structures.     

A structural stress definition and numerical implementation for fatigue analysis of welded joints

A mesh-size insensitive structural stress definition is presented in this paper. The structural stress definition is consistent with elementary structural mechanics theory and provides an effective measure of a stress state that pertains to fatigue behavior of welded joints in the form of both membrane and bending components. Numerical procedures for both solid models and shell or plate element models are presented to demonstrate the mesh-size insensitivity in extracting the structural stress parameter. Conventional finite element models can be directly used with the structural stress calculation as a post-processing procedure. To further illustrate the effectiveness of the present structural stress procedures, a collection of existing weld S-N data for various joint types were processed using the current structural stress procedures. The results strongly suggests that weld classification based S-N curves can be significantly reduced into possibly a single master S-N curve, in which the slope of the S-N curve is determined by the relative composition of the membrane and bending components of the structural stress parameter. The effects of membrane and bending on S-N behaviors can be addressed by introducing an equivalent stress intensity factor based parameter using the structural stress components. Among other things, the two major implications are: (a) structural stresses pertaining to weld fatigue behavior can be consistently calculated in a mesh-insensitive manner regardless of types of finite element models; (b) transferability of weld S-N test data, regardless of welded joint types and loading modes, can be established using the structural stress based parameters.     

Elucidation of fatigue characteristics and fracture mechanism of friction stir spot‐welded tension–shear joint steels

The fatigue life and fracture mechanism of friction stir spot welded tension–shear joints using 590‐MPa class steel as a base material under constant‐amplitude conditions were investigated with focus on welding dimension variations caused by tool wear. The fatigue limit of the friction stir spot welding (FSSW) joint used for this study is significantly low compared with the static tensile strength of the joint itself. It was clarified that the FSSW joint in this study exhibited two different failure morphologies regardless of the applied load level: base metal fracture and weld area fracture. Although the welding state changes due to the tool wear phenomenon that produce two types of fracture modes in relation to the welding rip diameter, they have no effect on the fatigue strength, regardless of the applied load.     

Cold cracks in welded joints of structural steels

The present survey is devoted to the investigation of a dangerous phenomenon (quite often observed in the process of arc welding) of the formation of hydrogen-induced cold cracks in welded joints of structural steels. We briefly analyze the existing models of the mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement. It is shown that difficulties in understanding the processes of initiation and growth of cold cracks are explained not only by the necessity of determination of the principal factors which govern the embrittling action of hydrogen but also by the absence of reliable knowledge of the microscopic mechanisms of fracture processes in metals. We suggest a new model of hydrogen embrittlement of metals with bcc lattice developed at the Paton Institute of Electric Welding. According to this model, atomic hydrogen adsorbed on the metal surface in the form of anions affects the surface energy of submicrocracks appearing in dislocation clusters in the process of deformation whose initial period of propagation obeys the classical Griffith scheme. The proposed model enables one to explain all known distinctive features of the cold cracking of welded joints and forms a groundwork for the physical simulation based the use of mathematical methods and aimed at the quantitative evaluation of the contribution of each factor to the indicated processes. Paton Institute of Electric Welding, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kiev. Translated from Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 53–66, January–February, 1996.     

Residual stresses in welded joints of high-strength steels

By using a “GLEEBLE-3800” complex, we perform the experimental investigations of the dynamics of changes in the yield strength of the metal of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in low-carbon high-strength steels for various rates of cooling of the welded joints. The influence of the rate of energy input and thermal welding cycles on the formation of residual stresses in welded joints of steels with different chemical compositions and properties is determined both experimentally and numerically. The relationship between the residual stresses, modes of heat input, and the period of holding of the HAZ metal at temperatures above the point A_C3 is established.     

Probabilistic model for fatigue crack growth and fracture of welded joints in civil engineering structures

This paper presents a probabilistic assessment model for linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). The model allows the determination of the failure probability of a structure subjected to fatigue loading. The distributions of the random variables for civil engineering structures are provided, and the relative importance of these random variables is determined. An example of a bridge detail is provided in order to show the application of the model. Partial factors are derived for the case of fatigue of welded joints in civil engineering structures. The failure probability appears to be relatively insensitive to the failure criterion (attainment of a through-thickness crack or fracture) when considering the total fatigue life.     

Review of the fatigue strength of welded joints based on the notch stress intensity factor and SED approaches

Several approaches exist for the fatigue strength assessment of welded joints. In addition to the traditional nominal stress approach, various approaches were developed using a local stress as fatigue parameter. In recent times, the N-SIF based approaches using the notch stress intensity at the weld toe or root have been developed. Based on this, the more practical strain energy density (SED) and the Peak Stress approaches were proposed. This paper reviews the proposed design S–N curves of the N-SIF and SED approaches questioning in particular the consideration of misalignment effects, which should be included on the load side of local approaches in order to consider them individually in different types of welded joints. A re-analysis of fatigue tests evaluated for the effective notch stress approach leads to slight changes of the design S–N curves and of the radius of the control volume used for averaging the SED at the notches. Further, on purpose fatigue tests of artificially notched specimens show that the fatigue assessment using a single-point fatigue parameter might be problematic because the crack propagation phase, being part of the fatigue life, is strongly affected by the stress distribution along the crack path that may vary considerably between different geometries and loading cases.     

Measuring fatigue cracks in fillet welded joints

Accurate measurement of short (<1 mm depth) elliptical fatigue cracks that grow from the toes of fillet welds has proved to be an obstacle to the application of fracture mechanics principles to welding fatigue. This paper reports a DC potential drop technique which allows continuous measurement of the depth of such elliptical cracks. A delicate compromise between sensitivity and accuracy, combined with superior electrical stability displayed by the measurement apparatus, has allowed detection of: 1 — crack growth less than 0.01 mm and; 2 — crack growth rates less than 10^?7 mm/cycle for cracks less than 1 mm deep.Preliminary results have indicated the relative importance of stress ratio, defect size and material variation on the growth of these short elliptical cracks. When the weld toe is subject to high stress ratios the phenomenon may be considered propagation dominated whereas low stress levels increase the influence of threshold and initiation mechanisms.     

Discussion on local approaches for the fatigue design of welded joints

Design of welded structures under fatigue is governed by two conflicting requirements: to minimize weight without compromising structure safety. Any theoretical and/or numerical approaches are necessarily based on some simplifying assumptions which, because of the complexity of fatigue phenomena, could miss some aspects involved in the real structure behaviour. On the other side, experimental approaches provide direct information on structure behaviour. In view of this, the paper will underline the importance of experimental observations and practical procedures to evaluate the stress/strain magnitude that could lead some components to unsafe working conditions. Experimental approaches may greatly support designers in all industrial applications where fast and reliable responses are strongly needed.