Different Methods for Fatigue Assessment of T Welded Joints Used in Ship Structures

Abstract

The aim of this work is the prediction of high-cycle fatigue behavior in welded joints, which represent regions of weakness in the ship structures. The traditional methods for fatigue assessment of welded joints have some limitations. Some new methods were recently developed by Taylor: the crack modeling method (CMM) and the theory of critical distances methods (TCD). Experimental tests were carried out to define the high-cycle endurance limits of aluminum T-shaped welded joints. Using data obtained from finite element analysis (FEA), the fatigue strength was evaluated according to the CMM and the TCD. Thermographic analysis was also carried out during the experimental tests to assess the high-cycle endurance limits of the welds by means of the Risitano method (RM). The previous methods were also applied to a specific case, fatigue in T joints containing a drilled hole at different angles, which allowed us to study a typical industrial design problem involving two different features. Good predictions were achieved using all the methods.