Experimental quantification of the fatigue stress Concentrator on MIG butt welded S355 steel specimen

Abstract

Joining components by welding is the most widespread method of joining for metal structures. For this reason, fatigue strength assessment of welded joints is of great interest to engineers involved in structure design. The welded joint itself can be considered a notch composed of a technological (inner deffects and material inhomogenities) and a geometrical (surface irregularities) part. Due to stress and strain concentration, such a notch decreases fatigue endurance of a welded construction. This paper shows experimental quantification of the fatigue stress notch factor for butt welded joints manufactured by MIG technology.