The IBESS model - Elements, realisation and validation

The approach is validated against a large number of experimental data, which comprises fatigue tests on individual cracks monitored by heat-tinting and beach-marking techniques, as well as stress life curves. Three kinds of welded joints, two steels of significant different strength, two welding techniques and three stress ratios are considered. The results show that the procedure provides good estimations of the statistical distribution of the fatigue strength of welded joints both for the finite and infinite life regime. Furthermore, the predictions are compared with available benchmark data for structural steels.