TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 298/1986
J G Wylde
Synopsis
This report describes the basic approach to fatigue design for welded joints contained in the current UK design rules and discusses their application to complex fabrications. The problems associated with designing in areas where there are geometric stress concentrations, where the principal stress is not coincident with the weld axis and where the principal stress direction changes within the loading cycle, are discussed. The report also provides guidance on the application of finite element stress analysis to fatigue design of welded joints and on the placement of strain gauges on prototypes or models to ensure that the measured stresses are compatible with the basic design approach.