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Local Stress Analysis of Welded Ship Structural Details under

Consideration of the Real Weld Profile

Conference Paper · January 2007

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This IIW-document was the basis for the paper presented during 10th PRADS conference in Houston, 2007

International Institute of Welding Institut International de la Soudure

German Delegation Délégation Allemande

Doc. XIII-2166-07 / XV-1253-07

Local Stress Analysis and Fatigue Assessment of

Bracket Toes Based on Measured Weld Profile

Wolfgang Fricke1 and Adrian Kahl2

1
Hamburg University of Technology, Ship Structural Design and Analysis
2
Germanischer Lloyd AG, Hamburg

Abstract
The fatigue strength of welded ship structural details can be assessed by local stress approaches. In con-
trast to the widely applied nominal and structural hot-spot stress approaches, the notch stress approach can
explicitly consider the shape of the weld. Usually a quite simplified weld profile is assumed, but it is also
possible to reproduce the real weld profile, if data is available. In the paper, the notch stress approach is
described and techniques are introduced for measuring the weld profile, focusing especially on the laser-
based sheet-of-light measurement system. Taking different bracket connections as an example, which have
been analysed in a recent research project, the derivation of a realistic weld profile from the laser meas-
urement is described, introducing a fictitious notch radius to account for micro-support effects of the mate-
rial. The so-called effective notch stress is then analysed using finite-element submodels of the coarse
bracket models. The fatigue test results are compared with design S-N curves based on the computed ef-
fective notch stresses as well as with the structural hot-spot stresses derived from the coarse models. Final-
ly conclusions are drawn with regard to the practical application to welded structures.

Keywords

Fatigue, welded joint, structural hot-spot stress, local stress, weld profile, ship structural detail, bracket
 2

1 Introduction
Ships are today mainly welded steel structures. The fabrication-related notches at the welded joints reduce
the fatigue strength considerably. The high stress utilization due to weight optimization and application of
higher-tensile steel contribute to the susceptibility to fatigue calling for appropriate fatigue assessments.
At present, mainly the nominal stress approach and occasionally the structural hot-spot stress approach are
applied. The so-called notch stress approach offers a refined procedure.
The approaches mentioned, which are described by Hobbacher (2005) and Radaj et al. (2006) among oth-
ers, allow different types of stress to be evaluated which are illustrated in Fig. 1 for a bracket toe on a plate
surface. The nominal stress approach uses the nominal stress n being calculated from internal forces and
moments as well as sectional properties. The structural hot-spot stress approach considers the structural
stress s, which includes the stress increase due to the overall structure, i. e. the bracket, but excludes the
effect of the local notch at the weld toe. The notch stress approach evaluates the fatigue-effective, linear-
elastic notch stress k, which contains the stress increase due to the weld toe.

Fig. 1: Different stress types at a bracket toe

The fatigue assessment is usually performed with the S-N approach, i. e. using a design S-N curve for con-
stant amplitude loading and a damage accumulation law. In the nominal stress approach, a specific S-N
curve is required for the structural detail in question which contains the effects of the structural and local
stress increases. Problems may arise if no suitable S-N curve is available for the actual case. Also, it might
be difficult to define an appropriate nominal stress. The other two 'local' approaches avoid these difficul-
ties by using a stress which includes the effects of the structure so that principally one S-N curve is suffi-
cient to describe the fatigue strength. However, refined stress analyses are required particularly in the case
of complex structures.
The further development of computer hard- and software allow the local approaches to be applied effi-
ciently to complex structures. In the following, the notch stress approach is considered more closely.
When the notch stress is computed, the weld profile has to be taken into account explicitly. Normally, an
idealized shape is assumed. Alternatively, the real weld profile can be modelled if it is known. In this pa-
per, possibilities for recording the real weld profile are discussed and the laser-based sheet-of-light meas-
urement technique is described in more detail. By the example of different bracket connections, which
have been investigated in a recent research project, the derivation of a weld contour close to reality from
laser measurements and the subsequent computation of the notch stress by plane and 3D finite element
models are presented.

2 The Notch Stress Approach

In the notch stress approach, the fatigue-effective stress in the notch root is considered as fatigue parame-
ter. The approach has been developed for non-welded as well as welded structures, for the latter with dif-
ferent variants (Radaj et al., 2006). In the following, the notch stress approach according to Radaj (1990)
is described, which has been implemented in the fatigue design recommendations of the International In-
stitute of Welding (IIW) as effective notch stress approach (Hobbacher, 1996).
 3

The approach has originally been derived for the fatigue assessment of welded joints at the endurance
limit. The fatigue-effective stress is the theoretical elastic notch stress, which is computed taking into ac-
count the micro-structural support effect of the surrounding material according to a hypothesis by Neuber
(1968). The effect can be considered by fictitious rounding of the rather sharp weld toe using the follow-
ing formula

ρf  ρ  s  ρ* (1)
where  is the actual notch radius, * is a material constant and s is a multiaxial coefficient. For mild steel
and the assumption that the crack initiation occurs in the cast weld material at the weld toe, * may be
taken as 0.4 mm. The multiaxial coefficient is suggested to be 2.5 for plane strain condition and the ap-
plicability of the distortion energy hypothesis. In case of lacking information about the actual radius or
consideration of the worst case,  = 0 mm should be assumed, so that eq. (1) yields a fictitious radius of
1 mm.
Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of the fictitious notch radii f at the weld toes and roots of a cruciform and a
butt joint as proposed in the IIW fatigue design recommendations for the effective notch stress approach
(Hobbacher, 2005).
The fillet welds in Fig. 2 have an idealized profile being characterized by the nominal throat thickness and
a weld flank angle of 45 degrees. If the real weld profile deviates from this shape and can be ensured by
quality control measures, larger notch radii may occur allowing a more favourable fatigue assessment.

Fig. 2: Fictitious notch radii f at a cruciform and butt joint

The notch stress can be computed by fatigue notch factors together with the nominal or structural hot-spot
stress or by the finite element or boundary element method. The latter requires the explicit consideration
of the notch at the weld toe or root in the model, which demands a sufficiently fine discretization of the
weld and particularly the fictitiously rounded weld toe or root. Here, the element size should be f/4 or less
in case of higher-order elements (Fricke, 2006). The global model is usually refined in the notch area.
Alternatively, the submodel technique is applied, either with 3D submodels or 2D submodels in plane
strain condition, if the principal stress is acting perpendicular to the weld line. The approach has disad-
vantages particularly with relatively thin plates where the fictitious rounding can lead to substantial weak-
ening of the plate section considered. An alternative approach has been proposed using a fictitious radius
of 0.05 mm (Eibl et al., 2003).
The fatigue strength reference value FAT, defining the design S-N curve at 2∙106 load cycles for 97.7%
survival probability, has been proposed in the IIW fatigue design recommendations to be 225 N/mm2
(FAT 225). In this connection, the effective notch stress has to be computed for the fictitious radius f =
1 mm corresponding to the worst case approach proposed by Radaj.

3 Measurement of the Actual Weld Contour

In the following, two techniques are outlined which allow the actual weld profile to be measured. The first
is the traditional manual measurement technique and the second the laser-based sheet-of-light technique
which has found application due to the development of computer-based optical measurement systems in
various industrial sectors.
 4

3.1 Manual Measurement Technique

The manual measurement of the weld profile is the technique mostly applied up to now, which requires no
extraordinary measurement tools. A negative replica of the weld is produced in the investigated area using
e. g. silicon rubber. The replica is cut at locations of further evaluation for subsequent measurement of the
weld contour. Fig. 3 shows a cut replica of a weld around a bracket toe on a bulb plate profile.

Fig. 3: Replica of a weld around a bracket end

In order to measure parameters of the weld contour in detail, e. g. the weld toe radius, enlarged images
have to be produced by taking pictures or scanning the cut surface. Disadvantages of the technique are the
extensive preparation and probably the reliability of the pure manual measurement.

3.2 Laser-Based Sheet-of-Light Measurement Technique

During the past years, the evolution of digital photography and image processing has led to the develop-
ment of contact-less optical measurement techniques. A wide-spread technique, which is continuously
further developed, is the sheet-of-light measurement. The measurement principle is schematically shown
in Fig. 4. A sheet of light, which is created by widening a laser beam, is projected on the measurement
object. The laser beam can be widened by an oscillating mirror in the projector. The object is observed by
a CCD camera which is placed in a defined distance and angle away from the projector. The sheet of light
is reflected by the object, from which the contour can be converted into the real profile by triangulariza-
tion using the known distance and angle between projector and camera. If the projector and camera are
moved along the measurement object, sheets of light are continuously recorded so that a 3D image of the
object surface is generated. Actually, the pixels of the CCD chip create a digital 3D cloud of points.

Fig. 4: Principle of the sheet-of-light measurement (Wolf, 1998)

The laser-based sheet-of-light measurement technique is today used by the industry for the quality control
during fabrication. An example is the online measurement of mechanically produced welds to control the
process and to check for defects. The technique has been applied by Lieurade et al. (2003) for the automat-
ic measurement of fillet welds with the aim to investigate effects of the weld geometry on fatigue strength.
Within the research project mentioned, the measurement system shown in Fig. 5 has been acquired. Pro-
jector and camera are combined in a casing which can be traversed over a distance of 300 mm. The emer-
gence of the sheet of light is indicated in the figure. The resolution of the measurement system along a
 5

25 mm wide sheet of light on the object is about 45 m, which means that 22 points per mm and 520
points in the whole section can be measured. Various sections are measured having distances of 100 m.
Fig. 6 shows the surface of a fillet weld around a bracket toe generated from the measured point cloud.
With a special software the point cloud can be further evaluated with respect to geometric parameters such
as the weld toe radius.

Fig. 5: Laser-based sheet-of-light Fig. 6: Measured surface of a fillet weld around

measurement system a bracket toe
The measurement accuracy on rough surfaces is physically limited due to the optical technique. The reso-
lution of the measurement system allows the toe radius of a typical fillet weld of 0.2 mm and more to be
reliably measured. A disadvantage is that shiny surfaces disturb the result which can be overcome by
treatment of the object surface with chalk spray.

4 Notch Stress Analysis for Different Bracket Types

The notch stress approach has already been applied in research and in the industry using mainly idealized
weld profiles, but sometimes also parameters of the actual weld geometry such as toe radius, flank angle
and weld reinforcement. Radaj et al. (2006) give some examples. Related to ship and offshore structures,
the approach was applied by Gimperlein (1990) to knuckled frame corners and by Petershagen (1992) to
hyperbaric dry butt welded specimens using the actual weld profiles.
As an example for notch stress analyses of the idealized and actual weld profile, the results of the afore-
mentioned research project are described in the following. The objective was the comparison between the
fatigue strength of inserted and overlapped brackets connecting stiffeners made either of bulb plate stiff-
eners or flat bars. The different connections are shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The abbreviations 'HP-O', 'HP-I',
'FB-O' and 'FB-I' are used in the following to distinguish between the four variants. 'HP' stands for bulb
plate profile (Holland profile), 'FB' for flat bar, 'O' for overlapped and 'I' for inserted.

Fig. 7: Overlapped and inserted bracket at a bulb plate stiffener (Holland profile)
 6

Fig. 8: Overlapped and inserted bracket at a flat bar stiffener

In the research project. the fatigue strength behaviour of all four variants was investigated. In parallel, the
notch stresses as well as the structural hot-spot stresses were computed.

4.1 Fatigue Tests

Each of the four variants was fatigue tested with four large-scale test models, which contained two bracket
connections. The test set-up is shown in Fig. 9 for the variant with overlapped brackets on bulb plate pro-
files HP 160x9 (HP-O). The symmetrical test models were loaded by diagonally acting hydraulic cylinders
such that tensile stresses are acting at the bracket toes. The test models with bulb plate stiffeners were
subjected to a cyclic force range of F = 30 kN. The load ratio was R  0. The test models with flat bar
stiffeners FB 160x15 were subjected to a slightly smaller load in order to achieve the same nominal stress
at the bracket toes. Fatigue cracks appeared generally at the weld toes on the stiffeners in front of the
bracket ends.

Fig. 9: Test set-up for variant HP-O

Fig. 10 shows a comparison of the endured stress cycles for all cracked stiffeners in the four variants up to
a length of the fatigue crack of 10 mm on the stiffener surface The survival probabilities Ps = 10%, 50%
and 90% resulting from a statistical evaluation are indicated in the figure. The direct comparison of en-
dured stress cycles is reasonable because the nominal stresses in the stiffeners are equivalent. It can be
seen that the variants with overlapped brackets are superior to those with inserted brackets, which might
be surprising as adverse opinions exist in the shipbuilding community.
 7

Fig. 10: Endured stress cycles of the different variants for F = 30 kN

up to a crack length of 10 mm

4.2 Derivation of realistic weld profiles for the notch stress analysis
The weld profiles in the different test models were measured before the tests with the laser-based sheet-of-
light system as described in the previous chapter.
To implement the weld profiles in finite element models, characteristic geometry parameters were derived
from the measured point clouds at all locations where cracks were observed. Fig. 11 displays the derived
parameters for a fillet weld, i. e. the weld leg length lw and hw, the weld toe radii rtop and rbottom, and the
weld toe angle  at the crack location. The characteristic geometry parameters were evaluated from the
point cloud by arranging several sections in way of the crack initiation point having a distance of 0.5 mm
from each other. Fig. 12 shows this by the example of a weld around the bracket end of the variant HP-I.

Fig. 11: Realistic weld profile generated from Fig. 12: Measured weld surface of variant HO-I
characteristic parameters with section lines
The individual section lines were subdivided into parts from which the individual parameters were manu-
ally evaluated. Fig. 14 exemplifies this for the lower weld toe radius and angle for the section line plotted
in Fig. 13.
The evaluation of the characteristic parameters can principally be automatized, as shown by Lieurade et al.
(2003) for the investigation of the effect of weld quality on fatigue strength. A special software was devel-
oped which identifies the weld toe and derives the characteristic geometry parameters with special algo-
rithms. Problems arise if the weld contour differs considerably from usual ones. In the investigation pre-
sented here, this approach was not followed because the profiles of welds performed in the upwards posi-
tion or around the bracket end are very irregular where similar problems occur.
 8

Fig. 13: Individual section line Fig. 14: Evaluation of the lower weld toe radius
and angle for the example in Fig. 13
For the notch stress analyses of the welds at the bracket connections, the realistic weld profile as illustrat-
ed in Fig. 11 was applied. The parameters were derived from the individual section lines (Figs. 12-14).
The curve between the lower and upper weld toe radii in Fig. 11 was approximated by a spline function
which runs tangentially into the circles. The critical weld toe radius was fictitiously increased by 1 mm
according to eq. (1). Some further modifications were necessary in cases with undercuts or unusual weld
profiles.
In addition, the effective notch stress was computed also for an idealized weld profile according to Fig. 2
using a fictitious radius f = 1 mm, a flank angle  = 45 deg. and the nominal throat thickness. Only for
variant FB-I, a larger flank angle was assumed because the full-penetration weld results in steeper flank
angles at the bracket toe than for a usual fillet weld (see Section A-A in Fig. 8). The additional computa-
tion of notch stresses for these idealized weld profiles corresponds to the common situation of designers
who have no information about the weld profiles occurring actually.

4.3 Performance and Results of the Notch Stress Analyses

The notch stress analyses were performed with the finite element method using coarse global models and
3D and 2D submodels. Fig. 15 shows the procedure using a 2D submodel and the realistic weld profile for
the variant HP-I.

Fig. 15: Procedure of the notch stress analysis using a 2D submodel and realistic weld profile
Basis is a global finite element model which represents the structural behaviour of the whole test model. In
addition, local submodels are generated for the fatigue-critical welded joints which contain either the real-
istic weld profile derived from the measurements or alternatively the idealized one. The submodel is load-
ed at the boundaries with the displacements obtained from the global model. Assuming plane strain condi-
tions for the 2D submodels, the effective notch stress is computed given by the highest surface stress in
the weld toe radius.
For each crack location, several section lines and corresponding weld profiles have been derived. For each
of them, a separate submodel was created and analysed, i. e. seven submodels for the weld shown in Figs.
12 and 15. From the results, the highest notch stress was assumed as relevant for the fatigue failure.
 9

In all test models with inserted brackets (HP-I and FB-I), the fatigue cracks appeared generally at the toe
of the weld around the bracket end. In these cases, 2D submodels were sufficient as their orientation is
almost parallel to the direction of the largest principal stress. However, in the test models with overlapped
brackets (HP-O and FB-O), almost all cracks appeared at the toe of the weld on the flat side of the stiffen-
er, i. e. 5 - 30 mm below the upper edge of the stiffener. Here, the arrangement of a 2D submodel was
impracticable because the direction of the largest principal stress differed notably from the longitudinal
stiffener direction. Therefore, 3D submodels were created. Fig. 16 shows such a submodel together with
the corresponding global model. The submodel was generated by extrusion of the weld profile at the crack
initiation along the weld line. The crack initiation point is marked in Fig. 16.

Fig. 16: Global and submodel for the variant FB-O

As the modelling of the weld of the overlapped bracket is rather complicated in a 3D submodel and sever-
al individual submodels have to be generated, the computation was performed only for all cracks appear-
ing on the flat side of the stiffener. The stress calculation for each crack was individually performed for
the location of the actual crack initiation. Fig. 17 shows the resulting notch stresses for the realistic weld
profiles together with the endured load cycles in an S-N diagram. The failure criterion is again a surface
crack length of 10 mm. The results of a statistical analysis yielding survival probabilities Ps = 10%, 50%,
90% and 97.7% are included in the diagram, assuming the common slope exponent m = 3 for S-N curves
of welded joints. Also the standard deviation s of log(N) is given. In addition, the design S-N curve FAT
225 according to the IIW fatigue design recommendations is included.

Fig. 17: S-N diagram for 10 mm crack length using the notch stresses computed
for realistic weld profile (notch radius increased by 1 mm)
 10

As mentioned before, additional notch stress calculations were performed for idealized weld profiles as
principally shown in Fig. 2. Again 2D and 3D submodels were generated to compute the effective notch
stress in the weld toe which was fictitiously rounded by f = 1 mm. For the overlapped brackets, the notch
stress was generally computed for a location 5 mm below the upper edge of the stiffener so that the same
stress occurs in each variant. The stress results are again shown together with the endured load cycles in
an S-N diagram, Fig. 18.
If the stress results for the realistic and idealized weld profiles are compared with each other, the effect of
the actual weld geometry can be recognized which is partly larger and partly smaller. Surprising is that the
standard deviation is almost the same. Obviously, the consideration of the realistic weld geometry does
not reduce the scatter. However, the scatter for individual variants, e. g. HP-I and HP-O is reduced. A
possible reason for the remaining large scatter might be that the chosen kind of modelling does not con-
sider geometry changes along the weld. These are relatively large, especially at the welds around the
bracket ends and in upwards position. Furthermore, residual stress effects are not considered which may
be different in structural details with different geometry.
The notch stresses for the idealized weld profiles are - due to the smaller toe radius (1 mm) and steeper
flank angles - generally larger than those for the realistic weld profiles. These results are conservative with
regard to the design S-N curve FAT 225, see Fig. 18, which confirms the procedure proposed by the IIW
fatigue design recommendations (Hobbacher, 2005). This is not the case for the realistic weld profiles
with the actual toe radii enlarged by 1 mm. This means that a lower design S-N curve than FAT 225 has to
be used if fictitiously enlarged weld toe radii are assumed.

Fig. 18: S-N diagram for 10 mm crack length using the notch stresses
computed for idealized weld profile (notch radius f = 1 mm)
It is interesting to note that both variants with inserted brackets (HP-I and FB-I) show higher notch stress-
es than the others with overlapped brackets. This is in line with the fatigue test results in Fig. 10 showing
the superiority of the overlapped brackets. The notch stress approach is able to predict this behaviour.

5. Comparison with Structural Hot-Spot Stress Results

As mentioned in the beginning, the structural hot-spot stresses were computed in addition to the notch
stresses. The numerical analysis was performed in accordance with the IIW fatigue design recommenda-
tions (Hobbacher, 2005), using the global finite element models of the bracket connections. The structural
hot-spot stress is typically determined by extrapolation of the normal or principal stress at definite loca-
tions on the surface to the weld toe. Fig. 19 shows the recommended extrapolation types. It is distin-
guished between relatively fine and coarse meshes. Furthermore a distinction is made between hot spots
on a plate surface and at a plate edge, which affects the distances of the extrapolation points from the weld
 11

toe. In the first case, these depend on the plate thickness, while in the second, which represents an in-plane
notch, fixed distances are chosen.

Fig. 19: Structural hot-spot stress determined by surface stress extrapolation (Hobbacher, 2005)
The structural stress analyses were performed with relatively fine and coarse models of the bracket con-
nection. The stress extrapolation points were chosen for almost all variants according to the situation at a
plate edge. This is quite obvious for the inserted brackets forming together with the stiffener an in-plane
notch. For the overlapped variants, where the cracks mostly appeared on the side of the stiffener, the
sketches in Fig. 19 represent the structure seen from above. Hence, the overlapped bracket on a bulb plate
stiffener (HP-O) is again considered to form an in-plane notch because the bulb cannot be regarded as a
plate with a reasonable thickness. Only the overlapped bracket on the flat bar stiffener (FB-O), where
cracks have appeared on the flat side, allows the plate thickness of the flat bar to reasonably define the
location of the extrapolation points.
The welds modelled correspond to those with idealized weld profile in the notch stress analysis. Generally
the largest principal stress at the crack initiation point was evaluated.

Fig. 20: S-N diagram for 10 mm crack length using structural hot-spot stresses
computed with coarse meshes
Fig. 20 shows the structural hot-spot stresses computed with the coarse meshes together with the endured
 12

load cycles up to a crack length of 10 mm. The S-N diagram contains again the results of a statistical anal-
ysis. Fig. 21 shows the corresponding results with the stresses from the finer meshes.
The different structural stresses within one variant result from the stress evaluation stress at the crack initi-
ation point and partly from the differences at the two ends of one bracket.
The scatter of the results in both diagrams is comparable, but slightly higher than in the notch stress analy-
sis. For load-carrying fillet welds, a design S-N curve FAT 90 has to be assumed according to the IIW
fatigue design recommendations (Hobbacher, 2005). This is reasonable also for the variant FB-I, which
has a full penetration weld, but a rather steep flank angle. The results obtained from the fine meshes are
conservative in relation to the FAT 90 curve. This is not fully the case for the results from the coarse
meshes.

Fig. 21: S-N diagram for 10 mm crack length using structural hot-spot stresses
computed with finer meshes
The comparison of the individual results with those of the notch stress analysis shows that the structural
stresses of the variants HP-O seem to be too high. The assumption of a plate edge for stress extrapolation
seems to be over-conservative here. On the other hand, a plate thickness cannot reasonably be defined
here. For this reason, the different behaviour of the bracket connections is not well predicted by this meth-
od.

6 Conclusions
The notch stress approach is a suitable approach for the fatigue assessment of welded ship structural de-
tails. Compared to the nominal and the structural hot-spot stress approaches it offers the possibility to
explicitly take into account the local weld geometry.
In order to consider the microstructural support effects of the material in the relatively sharp notches of the
weld toe or root, fictitious notch rounding is performed leading to a radius enlarged by 1 mm or - in the
worst case - to a minimum radius of 1 mm at steel joints.
With modern optical techniques, the weld profile can be measured and afterwards evaluated with respect
to geometry parameters relevant to fatigue behaviour. Such an evaluation has been performed for test
models of different bracket connections before fatigue testing.
The finite element analysis included the determination of the notch stress for realistic weld profiles includ-
ing the enlarged weld toe radius as well as for an idealized weld profile using the nominal weld geometry
together with the fictitious radius of 1 mm (worst case approach). In addition, the structural hot-spot stress
was determined using the IIW fatigue design recommendations. Following conclusions can be drawn from
the results:
 13

 The realistic weld profile with enlarged weld toe radius resulted naturally in smaller notch stresses
than the idealized weld profile with 1 mm radius. The latter were conservative in relation to the design
S-N curve recommended by IIW (FAT 225).
 Realistic weld profiles with fictitiously enlarged weld toe radius have to be assessed with a lower S-N
curve, which, however, allows improved weld shapes to be assessed on a rational basis.
 The scatter of the endured load cycles was not reduced when using realistic weld profiles.
 The structural hot-spot stress approach yields a slightly larger scatter.
 Compared to the structural hot-spot stress approach, the notch stress approach predicts better the dif-
ferent fatigue behaviour of structural variants.

7 Acknowledgement
The work described was performed within the research project 'Comparative investigation of the fatigue
strength of bracket connections' funded by the Forschungsvereinigung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Eisen
und Metall verarbeitenden Industrie e. V. (AVIF) through the Center of Maritime Technologies (CMT).

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Fricke, W. (2006): Round-Robin Study on Stress Analysis for the Effective Notch Stress Approach. Doc.
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Gimperlein, D. (1990): Tragverhalten von Rahmenecken mit geknickten Gurten. Schweißen und Schnei-
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Hobbacher, A., Ed. (1996): Fatigue Design of Welded Joints and Components. Abington Publ., Cam-
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Hobbacher, A., Ed. (2005): Recommendations for Fatigue Design of Welded Joints and Components,
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Radaj, D. (1990): Design and analysis of fatigue-resistant welded structures. Abington Publ., Cambridge.
Radaj, D.; Sonsino, C.M. und Fricke, W. (2006): Fatigue assessment of welded joints by local approaches.
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