Welded joints with non-matching weld metal-crack driving force considerations on the basis of the Engineering Treatment Model (ETM)

Abstract

The application of the Engineering Treatment Model (ETM) to a weld metal crack in a tension loaded, transverse welded wide plate yields the applied crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) as a function of applied load or applied strain, if the stress-strain-curves of the base material and the weld metal can be expressed as piece-wise power laws. Simple analytical relationships are obtained which can serve for predicting critical loads, critical strains, or critical crack length. Large effects on the applied CTOD can occur if the weld metal's stress-strain-curve deviates from that of the base material.