The influence of specimen length on the residual stress and fatigue life
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Residual stresses are present in steel structures due to the manufacturing process. The most commonly used joining technique in steel construction, welding, results in residual stresses due to the expansion and shrinkage of steel by heating and subsequent cooling. Residual stresses influence the fatigue performance of steel structures. Welded specimens for fatigue testing are often cut from larger plates to obtain multiple specimens and avoid the effect of the start and stop of the welding torch. The boundary conditions of a specimen are relaxed when a specimen is cut, resulting in redistribution of the residual stresses. In this paper, the relation between residual stress redistribution and the fatigue strength is studied for load carrying cruciform joints that are cut from a large welded assembly of steel grade S355. The effect of specimen length is studied. The study uses the finite element method to simulate the welding process, including the formation of residual stresses, and the cutting process that results in relaxation of these stresses. Using conventional fracture mechanics simulations, the effect of the residual stress on the fatigue life is estimated, and this estimate is compared to fatigue test results of specimens of different length from literature.
Source: Engineering Fracture Mechanics
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanics of Materials
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,120
OpenAlex ID: W4414654048