Defect assessment of welded specimen considering weld induced residual stresses using SINTAP procedure and FEA

The defect assessment in butt-welded joint of ASTM A36 steel plates and 7075-T7351 aluminum alloy plates containing transverse through thickness crack was analyzed using SINTAP procedure and FEA incorporating weld induced residual stresses. Weld induced longitudinal residual stress profile can be obtained through SINTAP procedure, FEA or experimental analysis. This residual stress profile can be fitted with the trapezoidal residual stress profile available in SINTAP. For three different cases, crack length and residual stress intensity factor (SIF) are calculated and its comparison with the results obtained through FEA is plotted with respect to crack length. The stress intensity factor for mechanical loading is also plotted in the same graph. Using this graphical plot, the total SIF, including residual stress and mechanical loading, can be calculated for any particular crack size. The total SIF can be compared with the fracture toughness of the material for damage tolerance analysis. Also a failure assessment diagram is drawn for welded 7075-T7351 aluminum alloy plates with different crack sizes for as-welded (only residual stress) and mechanical loading along with the existing weld induced residual stresses to show the safety level for a particular crack size and mechanical loading.