Patterns and Characteristics of Fatigue Failure in Cruciform Fillet Weld Joint

The proportion of the welding in the production process of machinery, buildings and marine structures is increasing and the joining are mainly conducted by butt and fillet weld. In the case of fillet weld, the shape of structures is complicated depending on the constraint on the geometry of the structures, therefore, the full penetration is mostly difficult. Accordingly, it is necessary to establish safe and economical criteria of design of the structures through the strength based on the penetration state of the fillet weld. Patterns of fatigue failure in cruciform fillet weld jont appear in the form of the root, toe and mixed failure. In the case of toe and mixed failure, the fatigue strength is higher than root failure. Therefore, we have to make the enough depth of penetration or perform the welding work through improving the fatigue strength of cruciform joints in welded structures. So it is necessary to optimize the penetrated depth in the range of the possible mixed failure and find the way in the cost-effective design to lessen the amount of the welding work.