Micromechanical analysis of constraint effect on fracture initiation in strength mismatched welded joints

In this paper the micromechanical approach to ductile fracture was applied in a study of constraint effect on crack growth initiation in mismatched welded joints. The single-edged notched bend specimens (precrack length a 0/W=0.32) were experimentally and numerically analyzed. The coupled micromechanical model proposed by Gurson, Tvergaard and Needleman was used. Constraint effect was tested by varying widths of the welded joints (6, 12 and 18mm). High-strength low-alloyed (HSLA) steel was used as the base metal in a quenched and tempered condition. The flux-cored arc-welding process in shielding gas was used. Two different fillers were selected to obtain over- and undermatched weld metal. The micromechanical parameters used in prediction of the crack growth initiation on precracked specimen were calibrated on a round smooth specimen. The difference in fracture behavior between over- and undermatched welded joints obtained in experimental results was followed by numerical computations of void volume fraction in front of the crack tip.