Fatigue life evaluation of root failure in welded joints based on displacement around the weld root | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Fatigue life evaluation of root failure in welded joints based on displacement around the weld root Erik Wahyu Pradana, Kazuo Tateishi, Takeshi Hanji, Masaru Shimizu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7197904/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Unanticipated load transfer in load-carrying cruciform and butt-welded joints with incomplete penetration can initiate fatigue cracks from the weld root. Conventionally, the fatigue life of such joints is assessed using the nominal stress approach. However, this method is often inadequate for geometrically complex joints, particularly when the weld throat nominal stress cannot be clearly defined due to non-uniform stress distribution. Although the effective notch stress (ENS) method provides an alternative, it is computationally demanding and relies on an assumed notch radius which lacks a well-defined physical basis. This study proposes an alternative fatigue evaluation method based on displacement around the weld root, offering a physically meaningful and mesh-insensitive fatigue damage parameter. A linear-elastic finite element model with a 1 mm mesh around the unfused zone was employed to evaluate the displacement at a reference point 1 mm from the weld root. A dataset comprising 398 fatigue test results from specimens with incomplete penetration exhibiting root failure was extracted from the literature to validate the proposed method. A correction factor was introduced to normalize the fatigue damage parameter into a dimensionless form, allowing direct comparisons across specimens of varying sizes and geometries. The relationship between the normalized fatigue damage parameter and fatigue life was presented on logarithmic scales, resulting in the normalized Δ d – N curve. This curve not only demonstrates improved predictive accuracy and reliability compared to the conventional S – N curve but also offers a physically interpretable approach applicable to complex welded joint geometries. Root crack Incomplete weld penetration Unfused zone Displacement Fatigue life assessment Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Aug, 2025 Editor invited by journal 18 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 01 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 31 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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