FATIGUE STRENGTH OF WELDED STEEL BEAM DETAILS AND DESIGN CONSIDERATION

The paper summarizes some of the findings of a comprehensive study on the fatigue strength of rolled and welded built-up beams without attachments, rolled and welded beams with cover plates, and welded beams with flange splices. Altogether, 374 steel beams with two or more details were fabricated and tested. The welded beam details discussed herein represent the upper and lower boundaries of fatigue behavior of welded beams. The lower bound is provided by beams with partial length cover plates--a severe notch producing details. For purposes of design, this study has shown that the fatigue strength of the upper and lower bound details is independent of the strength of steel. A36, A441 and A514 steel beams provided the same fatigue strength for a given detail, and stress range was observed to account for nearly all the variation in cycle life. The paper reviews briefly the major variables that influence the fatigue strength of welded details and suggests how they should be considered in design. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Lehigh University

  Fritz Engineering Laboratory
  Bethlehem, PA  United States  18015
• Authors:
  • Fisher, J W
• Publication Date: 1972-1

Media Info

• Pagination: 36 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Beams; Fatigue (Mechanics); Fatigue strength; Fatigue tests; Fracture mechanics; Structural design; Structural mechanics
• Old TRIS Terms: Beams (Structural)
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00034466
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FEL-358.34
• Contract Numbers: N00014-68-A-0514
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 27 1972 12:00AM