Comparison of Findley and MWCM multiaxial fatigue methods using the notch stress method on welded joints

Abstract

Fatigue assessment of welded joints is vital for accurately designing and predicting lifetime of many engineering structures. Assessing weld fatigue is challenging due to the high variability in weld quality and geometry because of the volatile nature of the joining method and further challenges arise when assessing multiaxial fatigue. In this paper, two approaches, the Findley criterion and Modified Wöhler Curve Method, on several multiaxial experimental data sets of welded joints are compared to predict the fatigue life of the welded joints. Six experimental sets from literature are tested under a proportional torsion/bending multiaxial load. The notch stress method is used for calculating stresses at the toes of a weld.