The application of fracture mechanics to the determination of the fatigue behavior of weldments is discussed with the focus on classic fatigue, i.e., the overall fatigue life and the fatigue strength in terms of an S-N curve and the endurance limit. The following issues are addressed: specific features of short fatigue crack propagation, an adequate initial crack size, multiple crack propagation and its statistical treatment as well as welding residual stresses. As an example, an approach of the authors is applied to the determination of FAT classes for a butt weld with varying weld toe geometry.
The two-part paper series provides an overview on the state-of-the-art in the application of engineering fracture mechanics to weldments limited to butt and fillet welds with crack initiation at weld toes. In the present second part, one focus is on welding residual stresses, their characteristics and stability under cyclic loading and their effect on structural integrity. Subsequently, features will be addressed which are essential for applying fracture mechanics to overall fatigue life and fatigue strength considerations of weldments. These comprise fatigue life relevant initial crack sizes and multiple crack initiation and Propagation due to various stress peaks along the weld toe. A concept is briefly introduced which covers all these aspects.
Für die Bestimmung der Restlebensdauer zyklisch beanspruchter Bauteile kommt dem Schwellenwert für Ermüdungsrissausbreitung ∆Kth und dem sich anschließenden Schwellenwertbereich der da/dN-∆K-Kurve große Bedeutung zu. Dem stehen Unsicherheiten bei der Bestimmung und Analyse gegenüber. Der Aufsatz befasst sich mit der Ermittlung des sogenannten intrinsischen Schwellenwerts, der als robuster Eingangsparameter für eine „rissschließfreie“ Analyse der Restlebensdauer von entscheidender Bedeutung ist.
The fracture mechanics-based IBESS approach is applied to the determination of FAT classes of butt welds with crack Initiation along the weld toe. The aim is an investigation of the effect of the geometrical parameters toe radius, flank angle, reinforcement and secondary notches such as roughness or undercuts. The influence of these parameters is discussed both individually and in combination; however, excluding statistical distributions of them and the material data. The results, when compared with conventional FAT classes for butt welds, are encouraging with respect to a potential contribution of IBESS to the discussion of more advanced quality criteria for welds. To that purpose, demands for further research are proposed.