Durability of advanced fabricated structures

Abstract

Materials and fabrication technologies for welded structures are continually evolving and developing. The drives to reduce weight and cost, increase energy efficiency, improve performance and reduce the environmental footprint of end products that included welded structures continue to provide challenges in the fatigue design and production of welded structures. This presentation attempts to provide a brief overview of selected research topics and recent technological developments related to fatigue assessment for welded structures. Much of the work has been performed and reported within the scope of the International Institute of Welding (IIW), but other groups and individuals have also made important contributions. While many themes could have been selected, this paper provides brief discussions on several active research topics: the definition of weld quality for fatigue performance, advanced high strength steel for welded structures, high frequency mechanical impact treatment and developments in fatigue assessment procedures.Keywords: Welded structures / weld quality / high frequency mechanical improvement methods / fatigue assessment / high strength steel / Schlüsselwörter: Geschweißte Strukturen / Schweißnahtqualität / hochfrequente Festigkeitssteigerung / Ermüdungsabschätzung / hochfeste Stähle /

Fatigue characteristics of welded high strength steel in the low cycle region of loading

“…The former improves the fatigue strength through reduction of the local stress concentration factor by ensuring a smooth transition between the weld profile and base metal. The latter contributes to fatigue strength increase by reducing tensile residual stresses or even by inducing compressive residual stresses in the weld toe region [4][5][6].…”

Effect of high frequency mechanical impact treatment on fatigue strength of welded 1300 MPa yield strength steel

“…One possible solution to reduce the weight is to utilize high strength steels significantly more than today and use welding as the joining method [1][2][3].…”