Issue34

C. Fischer et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 34 (2015) 99-108; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.34.10 101 The effective notch stress σ eff accounts for the notch effect and the microstructural support of notches by means of rounding the weld toe or the weld root by a radius r ref = 1 mm, see [8]. The highest 1 st principal stress on that radius is assumed to be effective for fatigue assessment. The effective notch stress is linked with σ s by the weld shape factor K W , Eq. (2), which considers the load-carrying grade of the weld and the local weld geometry. eff W s K    (2) Comparison of Stress Distributions In order to reach the same structural HSS σ s = 176 MPa at the transverse attachment (1) and the complex structure (5), different levels of nominal stresses were required. A uniform axial loading of 100 MPa was sufficient at variant (5) because of the significant stress concentration at the hot-spot which is illustrated by the calculated distributions of the 1 st principal stress in Fig. 2. x z y F 1 st principal stress [MPa] <80 108 136 163 191 219 247 274 302 >330 F x z y F 1 st principal stress [MPa] <80 108 136 163 191 219 247 274 302 >330 10 mm Figure 2 : Calculated stress distribution at the transverse attachment (left) and the complex structure (right). Moreover, the stress distribution over the plate thickness is symmetric in case of transverse attachment (1) due to the weld toe on the opposite side, whereas the stress decreases monotonically for the complex structure (5). These characteristics were represented by different degrees of bending being  = 0 for variant 1 and  = 0.315 for the other. While the stress level is constant over the whole width of the transverse attachment (1), it decreases in variant 5 at first significantly and then slows down when the distance from the symmetry plane rises. The longitudinal plates of the complex structure cause differences as well. The lower plate increases the apparent plate thickness in the symmetry plane; i.e. the cross section is significantly larger than for the transverse attachment. The upper plate affects the load-carrying grade and the level of the effective notch stress. Moreover, the vertical support of the lower longitudinal plate results in a bending constraint which is also found in large plated structures. ‘Intermediate’ Variants Three additional variants 2 to 4 according to Fig. 1 were defined for the following crack propagation simulation so that the effects on crack propagation life can be separated. In variant 2, the transverse attachment is loaded such that  = 0.315 occurs at the weld toe, while variant 3 is modified by a longitudinal plate below the main plate. The plate is 10 mm thick and 30 mm high. The degree of bending  = 0.315 in the plate is realized by appropriate axial and bending loads. An additional longitudinal plate, having a length L = 100 mm, is added behind the upper transverse attachment in variant 4. Due to adjusted loads, the degree of bending is  = 0.315 again. This longitudinal plate increases the load-carrying grade of the welded joint and also the stress concentration in the symmetry plane. This led to a similarly high stress decrease along the weld line as for the complex structure. The