Realistic testing of welds by fatigue bending at low temperature

Abstract

This report serves two purposes.

Firstly a test method ‘Fatigue loading at low temperature’ is reintroduced and illustrated with the aid of Electroslag welded specimens.

Secondly the difficulties with this method – which are the difficulties of any realistic method – are illustrated with the aid of submerged arc specimens containing serious defects. On account of these it is also argued that standard C.O.D.-testing will often represent reality very poorly, especially in case of multirun welds (containing defects, hard spots and triaxial residual stresses) in structures which are subjected to cyclic loading.