Fatigue life prediction of welded structures containing non-planar flaws using Quality Category under non-constant amplitude loading

The prediction of fatigue life is important for welded structures. A new fatigue life prediction method of welded structures containing nonplanar flaws was developed in this article. The new method is based on the Quality Category of PD6493 and Miner's liner damage rule. It accounts for the maximum height or width of slag inclusions, and the percentage of projected area on a radiograph of porosity and fatigue loading. Fatigue life prediction is easily implemented by the method. Further, a new modification method based on past-experienced data is presented for practical applications. The application of this method is illustrated with Chinese carbon manganese steel. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.