Fatigue crack growth analysis of a square hollow section T-joint

Stress concentration sites are always found at the brace and chord intersection corners of any rectangular welded tubular joint. As a result, fatigue cracks are liable to be initiated and propagated from these corners. In this paper, the 3D fatigue crack growth under the weld toe of a square hollow section welded T-joint is simulated using boundary element method. In accordance with the 3D analyses, fatigue crack growth is predicted using a model based on the Paris’ law and stress intensity factors. Good agreement between the experimental and predicted crack growth and crack shape development is obtained. Based on this crack growth analysis, the fatigue life of a specimen is predicted and compared with the standard S–NS–N curve for hollow section joints. It is found that the standard S–NS–N curve is safe and slightly conservative.