Abstract
A welded connection between two beams is analysed in terms of fatigue using both tests and the IIW handbook. The test results are rewritten to a failure probability of 5%. The resulting S-N curve is used to calculate three different stress categories that lead to 6 2 ·10 cycles to failure: a nominal stress, a hotspot stress and an equivalent notch stress. None of geometries for which handbook recommendations exist is equal to the tested welded connection. The recommendations for the closest resembling geometries in terms of aforementioned three stress types are thus compared to the test results. The hotspot stress method and the equivalent notch method lead to a different yet conservative result. The nominal stress method leads to a very accurate prediction, despite its simplicity. In the analysed case, the IIW handbook remains applicable even though the geometries for which advice is given do not exactly resemble the tested situation.
KEYWORDS – fatigue, welded joint, handbook evaluation, testing, failure probability