Woodhead Publishing Fracture and Fatigue of Welded Joints and Structures (Woodhead Publishing in Materials) (Woodhead Publishing Series in Welding and Other Joining Technologies)

Fatigue is often a precursor to the fracture of a welded joint. This book summarises the latest research in understanding fatigue and fracture in welded joints and structures. Part one reviews welded joints with chapters on fatigue strength assessment of local stresses, the use of fracture mechanics in fatigue and failure analysis and ways of improving weld joint class systems. Part two discusses welded structures with chapters on fatigue design rules for welded structures, fatigue assessment methods for variable amplitude loading, improving fatigue design using local approaches and modelling residual stresses in predicting the service life of welded structures. Key Features: analyses the processes and causes of fracture and fatigue, focusing predicting and minimising the failure of welded joints in the design process; assesses the fracture of welded joints and structure featuring constraint-based fracture mechanics for predicting joint failure; explores specific considerations in fatigue analysis including the assessment of local stresses in welded joints and fatigue design rules for welded structures. Contents: Part 1 Analysing fracture of welded joints and structures: Constraint-based fracture mechanics in predicting the failure of welded joints; Constraint fracture mechanics: test methods; Fracture assessment methods for welded structures. Part 2 Analysing fatigue of welded joints and structures: Fatigue strength assessment of local stresses in welded joints; Improving weld class systems in assessing the fatigue life of different welded joint designs; Fatigue design rules for welded structures; Fatigue assessment methods for variable amplitude loading of welded structures; Reliability aspects in fatigue design of welded structure using selected local approaches: the example of k-nodes for offshore costructions; Assessing residual stresses in predicting the service life of welded structures; Fatigue strength improvement methods.