Evolution of welding residual stresses during cyclic tests in welded tubular joints: Fid-Bau Portal

Evolution of welding residual stresses during cyclic tests in welded tubular joints

Wang, Le / Qian, Xudong

Abstract Welded tubular joints are integral components in various engineering structures, subject to cyclic loading conditions throughout their operational lifespan. This paper investigates the evolution of welding residual stresses within the CHS X-joint and CHS double K-joint under cyclic loading, shedding light on their intricate behavior and potential implications for structural integrity. The advanced XRD experimental technique enables the characterization and monitoring of residual stress variations over multiple loading cycles. Assisted by the non-destructive XRD measurements, this study validates the optimization-improved thermal-mechanical simulation method for predicting not only the as-welded residual stresses in the tubular joints but also the residual stress evolutions during the cyclic loading tests. The most pronounced relaxation of peak residual stresses in the tubular joints occurs within the first cycle and then maintains a relatively stable magnitude in subsequent cycles. The findings of this research contribute to the enhancement of structural reliability and serve as a foundation for mitigating the adverse effects of welding residual stresses in welded tubular joints under cyclic loading scenarios.

Highlights • This paper reports the experimentally measured residual stress during cyclic loads. • The residual stresses in both X and DK CHS joints relax significantly within 1st cycle. • Numerical analyses predict closely the evolution of residual stresses under cyclic actions.