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The researchers have shown that there are cracks in the toe weld and they have an important role in the welding failure. The elimination of these shortcomings and the improvement of the fatigue life have always been a concern for the industrial designers. One method of improving the fatigue life of the welded joint at its geometry branch is to remelt the toe region of the steel weldments using the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) method or TIG-dressing. This method affects the material structure, hardness, stress coefficient and welding shape. In this study, the effectiveness of this method on fatigue and stress concentration at the weld toe was investigated. The experimental results showed that the toe weld form was changed by TIG – dressing and thus increased the radius and decreased the toe weld’s angle, so that the stress was reduced by TIG – dressing. Also, the fatigue tests showed that the fatigue life increased by an average of approximately 30 percent. Finally, the stress concentration factors were obtained using ABAQUS finite element analysis. The amount of stress concentration factors in weldments before and after TIG – dressing were respectively achieved to be 2.4 and 1.3.

TIG-dressing is a technique used to improve the fatigue strength of welded joints by a remelting of the weld toe region that promotes both a smoother transition between the plate and the weld crown and a residual stress redistribution. These effects are very hard to be quantified by numerical simulation since a highly coupled thermo-fluid-mechanical analysis is required. However, if the final weld toe geometry is supposed to be known or a-posteriori measured, a simplified numerical method can be used to simulate the residual stress redistribution that uses the activation-deactivation function of elements. This technique is applied to a real steel weldment and the results, in terms of phases proportions and residual stress redistribution, were found in good agreement both with data coming from metallurgical analysis and the improved fatigue strength observed on welded joints after the TIG-dressing operation

• A new approach to assess TIG-dressed joints by local stresses is introduced. • Support effects due to stress gradients are considered by the critical distance approach. • FAT-values and critical distances are proposed that can be used for design. Fatigue strength assessment methods by local approaches are widely used in the literature. This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of published data for welded steel joints improved by TIG dressing methods. Fatigue classes for the local assessment methods with the available fatigue data are recommended. The available fatigue data extracted for transverse non-load carrying welds, cruciform joints as well as butt joints. In total, 17 published test series of weld details with various yield strengths and stress ratios are presented. Fatigue strength assessment is performed by considering the weld profile geometry within Finite Element models and taking the resulting stress gradients as basis for the evaluation. In addition, the influence of the steel grade is included. The most reliable results are derived by using the critical distance approach. Fatigue classes and critical distances are recommended as a result of the evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TIG-dressing is a technique used to improve the fatigue strength of welded joints by a remelting of the weld toe region that promotes both a smoother transition between the plate and the weld crown and a residual stress redistribution. These effects are very hard to be quantified by numerical simulation since a highly coupled thermo-fluid-mechanical analysis is required. However, if the final weld toe geometry is supposed to be known or a-posteriori measured, a simplified numerical method can be used to simulate the residual tress redistribution that uses the activation-deactivation function of elements. This technique is applied to a real steel weldment and results, in terms of phases proportions and residual stress redistribution, were found in good agreement both with data coming from metallurgical analysis and the improved fatigue strength observed on welded joints after the TIG-dressing operation.

TIG-dressing is a technique used to improve the fatigue strength of welded joints by a remelting of the weld toe region that promotes both a smoother transition between the plate and the weld crown and a residual stress redistribution. These effects are very hard to be quantified by numerical simulation since a highly coupled thermo-fluid-mechanical analysis is required. However, if the final weld toe geometry is supposed to be known or a-posteriori measured, a simplified numerical method can be used to simulate the residual stress redistribution that uses the activation-deactivation function of elements. This technique is applied to a real steel weldment and the results, in terms of phases proportions and residual stress redistribution, were found in good agreement both with data coming from metallurgical analysis and the improved fatigue strength observed on welded joints after the TIG-dressing operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of stress ratio on the fatigue strength of TIG-dressed fillet weld joints of S960 grade steel was studied by experimental testing, and statistical analyses using finite element (FE) modeling were performed to define geometric parameters and their effect on the stress concentration factor of the TIG-dressed fillet weld joints. Review of the literature and scientific publications indicated a need for studies related to both the fatigue durability of TIG-dressed ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) weldments and the fatigue strength of these joints at high stress ratio. The results of the experimental fatigue tests showed that International Institute of Welding recommendations accounting for the effects of TIG-dressing on fatigue classes are too conservative for S960 grade steel, although the fatigue resistance of TIG-dressed UHSS fillet weld joints was found to decrease with increasing stress ratio. Statistical analysis of geometric variables and FE modeling with an idealized weld profile shape showed that toe radius and weld undercut have the greatest effect on stress concentration in TIG-dressed fillet weld joints. In addition, TIG-dressing was found to cause notable softening in the fusion line and heat affected zone of the TIG-dressed S960 weldments, which might have an effect on fatigue crack initiation and thus the fatigue strength of the structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Krankonstruktionen sind im Allgemeinen hohen Beanspruchungen mit vergleichsweise geringen Lastspielzahlen ausgesetzt. Im Bereich der Kurzzeitfestigkeit, bekannter unter dem englischen Begriff Low-Cycle Fatigue (LCF), bieten höchst- und ultrahochfeste Stähle erhebliche Vorteile. Im Folgenden wird über Ergebnisse von Ermüdungsversuchen an höchst- und ultrahochfesten stumpfgeschweißten Blechen und höchstfesten Rundhohlprofilen mit aufgeschweißten Längssteifen berichtet. Hierbei wurden Versuchsserien mit WIG-Decklagen, geschliffenen Nahtwurzeln und hochfrequenten Hämmerverfahren (HFH) untersucht. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse werden zusammengefasst und mit Bezug auf die Kerbklassen des Eurocode 3 bzw. auf die FAT-Klassen der aktuellen IIW-Richtlinie ausgewertet. Low-cycle fatigue of welded joints made of high and ultra-high strength steels. Crane structures are exposed to very high loading but with rather low number of load cycles. In the so called low cycle fatigue (LCF) domain the use of high- and ultra-strength steels offer considerable advantages. In this paper, fatigue tests on butt welded ultrahigh-strength plates and circular hollow sections with longitudinal attachments and post weld treatment by means of TIG-dressing, high frequency hammer peening (HFHP) and grinded roots are presented. A summarized evaluation and discussion of results referring to fatigue class classification of Eurocode 3 and the recent IIW guideline is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of extensive measurements on weld toe geometry of as-welded and TIG-dressed butt welded connections in high strength steels S460, S690 and very high strength steels S890 and S1100. Descriptions of the measurement techniques and data analysis are presented. Four weld toe parameters have been formulated to characterize the weld toe: weld toe radius, weld toe angle, weld height and undercut. From the data can be concluded that TIG-dressing, on average, has a beneficial effect on the geometry of the weld toe. However, TIG-dressed weld toes have different appearances and as a result, weld toe parameters show more variation after TIG-dressing. An improvement of the weakest link is therefore not guaranteed. The reheating of weld material and surrounding parent material results in a new fusion zone (FZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ). Hardness measurements have been performed in all different zones and show an increase of hardness as a result of TIG-dressing, with an occasional exception in the very high strength steels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Weld improvement techniques are aimed at reducing the notch effects of welds and generally focus on two aspects: a change of geometry of the weld toe and a change of the weld residual stresses. In this paper, fatigue tests are discussed, performed on butt welded specimens in steel grades ranging from S460 to S1100 in the TIG-dressed condition. The test results are compared with modelled fatigue strength according to the notch stress theory and similar specimens in the as-welded condition. The changed notch geometry of the joints is based on the results of a parallel program of weld toe geometry measurements. The individual data points and their failure mode give good qualitative insight in the effect of TIG-dressing on butt welded joints in high strength steel. Overall, a positive effect of TIG-dressing on the weld toe is visible. On the basis of a large dataset of measured weld toe geometries a model has been developed based on the notch stress theory. The theoretical results of the model are compared with the results of the physical tests, showing significant differences between the model and the fatigue tests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Post-weld treatments can enhance the fatigue strength of weldments by means of improving their geometry or residual stresses, or both. In this study, the fatigue strength of TIG-dressed non-load-carrying cruciform joints made of ultra-high-strength steel were analyzed using stress-based approaches, i.e. nominal, structural, and effective notch stress (ENS) methods, and a multi-parametric approach, entitled the 4R method. Comparisons were made between the methods, along with the applied parameters, and the results showed the 4R and ENS approaches to have the best correspondence with the experimental test data, whereas the nominal and structural stress methods resulted in conservative fatigue strength estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]