Weld detail fatigue life improvement techniques. Part 1: Review
Journal
Marine Structures
Journal Volume
12
Journal Issue
6
Pages
447-474
Date Issued
1999
Author(s)
Kirkhope, K.J., Bell, R., Caron, L., Basu, R.I., Ma, K.-T.
Abstract
Fatigue cracks in fabricated steel structures often occur at welded joints where stress concentrations due to the joint geometry are relatively high. In many cases the fatigue performance can be improved by employing good detail design practices. However, when this is not practicable, or is not sufficient, fatigue life improvement techniques which rely on improving the stress field in and around the weld can be beneficial. While such techniques have been applied successfully in several industries, their application in ship structures is limited. This is at least partly due to the lack of relevant guidance. This paper provides a review of weld detail fatigue life improvement techniques, while a companion paper (Kirkhope KJ, Bell R, Caron L, Basu RI, Ma K-T. Weld detail fatigue life improvement techniques. Part 2: application to ship structures. Submitted to Marine Structures) describes their application to ship structures. Fatigue cracks in fabricated steel structures often occur at welded joints where stress concentrations due to the joint geometry are relatively high. In many cases the fatigue performance can be improved by employing good detail design practices. However, when this is not practicable, or is not sufficient, fatigue life improvement techniques which rely on improving the stress field in and around the weld can be beneficial. While such techniques have been applied successfully in several industries, their application in ship structures is limited. This is at least partly due to the lack of relevant guidance. This paper provides a review of weld detail fatigue life improvement techniques, while a companion paper describes their application to ship structures.
Type
journal article