ANALYTICAL AND GRAPHICAL AIDS FOR THE FATIGUE DESIGN OF WELDMENTS

Abstract

Abstract There are four important attributes of weldments which, together with the magnitude of the fluctuating stresses applied, determine their resistance to metallic fatigue: the ratio of the applied or self‐induced axial and bending stresses; the severity of the discontinuity or notch which is an inherent property of the geometry of the joint; the notch‐root residual stresses which result from fabrication and subsequent use of the weldment; and the mechanical properties of the notch‐root material in which fatigue crack initiation and growth takes place. A simple version of a more elaborate analytical model of the fatigue behavior of weldments [1] is presented here which provides analytical and graphical design aids for design.