Abstract
Fatigue tests have been carried out on out-of-plane gusset welded joint specimens under axially pulsating compressive stresses, reversed stresses and pulsating tensile stresses in order to clarify the fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior, and fatigue strength under compressive cyclic stresses. In the fatigue tests, the multiple repeated two-step stress tests have been also performed for the purpose of leaving beach marks in a fatigue failure surface in addition to the constant amplitude stress tests. The fatigue test results suggest that the fatigue crack stops propagating under the pulsating compressive stresses after the crack penetrates the main plates and extends to a certain extent, the fatigue strength and propagation behavior before it penetrates the plate under the pulsating compressive stresses are the same as those under the pulsating tensile stresses.
