Fatigue Crack Propagation from Weld Defect in 100mm Thick Joint

Abstract

One of the problems relating to fatigue strength of a welded joint containing a weld defect is the evaluation of propagation life of a fatigue crack initiated from the defect. In this paper propagation behaviors of fatigue cracks from a through-thickness notch and from a deliberately introduced internal weld defect in 100mm thick transverse joint of A533B class 1 steel were examined, and the propagation rates were analyzed. It was observed that the propagation rate from an internal weld defect was higher than that from a throughthickness notch at a given stress intensity range. These results were discussed by comparing with the propagation rate given in ASME Code Sec. XI.