| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1581480 | Materials Science and Engineering: A | 2008 | 7 Pages |
Effects of residual stress and heat treatment on fatigue strength of weldments were investigated with lateral link specimens and sway bar bracket specimens. Residual stresses in the thickness direction at a weld toe location were measured by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and the hole drilling method for as-welded and post-heat-treated specimens. Compressive residual stresses on the surface were obtained from the as-welded specimens, while zero or very low tensile residual stresses were obtained from the heat-treated specimens. Microstructural differences between as-welded and heat treated specimens were also investigated in this study. Heat-treated specimens showed fine grains at the weld zone compared to that of as-welded specimens. Fatigue strength of as-welded specimens was found higher than that of heat-treated specimens due to compressive residual stresses induced at the weld toe areas. This study also predicted the fatigue life of as-welded specimens with commercial fatigue software and the life predictions were compared with experimental results.
