Static strength capacity of single-sided fillet welds

Abstract

The current design standards do not obtain clear recommendations or rules how the secondary bending moment at single-sided fillet weld joint should be considered. However, significantly high tensile stresses can occur at the weld root due to the secondary bending, which can have an impact on the capacity of fillet welds, particularly if such joints are made of high-strength steels. In this regard, the capacity includes both deformation capacity and ultimate load-carrying capacity. In the present work, the static strength capacities of single-sided fillet welds are analytically, experimentally and numerically investigated. From the practical application viewpoints, it is important to understand the mechanisms of secondary moment at the welded details, in which the joint stiffness and type, along with distributions of loads at the joint components, are often more important factors affecting the capacity than the eccentricity effect caused by the single-sided fillet weld. A particular attention should be paid in designing joints made of high-strength steel materials and subjected to the secondary moment causing high tensile stress at the weld root. The presented analytical design method for the single-sided fillet welds and experimental test results showed a reasonable agreement.