Experimental study of load-carrying cruciform joints Containing Incomplete Penetration and Strength Under-matching in Low and High Cycle Fatigue Regions

Fatigue behaviors of load-carrying cruciform joints containing incomplete penetration and strength under-matching between base metal and weld deposit were studied. Low and high cycle fatigue tests were performed on specimens with five matching conditions and two sizes of incomplete penetration. Observation of the specimens revealed that crack propagation paths differ by low and high cycle loading conditions and that failure life was dominated by crack propagation. Besides, it was found that the effect of the strength under matching on the fatigue strength becomes large in low cycle fatigue region by significantly reducing fatigue life of the specimen. Moreover, local strain obtained from analysis model can be governing parameter to fatigue life of specimens.