On the problem of quantitative service life assessment for high-strength steel welded structures under the effect of corrosion medium

Abstract

Nowadays there are some standards and approved procedures for fatigue strength estimation for welded structures subjected to high cycle loading where the strength of material is not actually taken into account. However for structures made of high-strength steels a situation is more specific due to a couple of aspects. First, high-strength steels are applied when the design stress is increased, that translates the analysis from the high-cycle to the low-cycle fatigue having its own specificity. Second, the trend of low-alloy steels to develop stress corrosion cracking mechanisms with their strength increase is widely known. In view of the above, there is a necessity of more detailed determination of the limiting states of a structure taking into account the load frequency. Links of both factors with the design features of welded joints and their welding and assembling technology are observed. A procedure for fatigue durability prediction of high-strength welded joints based on numerical simulation of fatigue process is presented.