Local approaches of fatigue assessment have become an indispensable design tool for the layout and dimensioning of welded structures. This book reviews the available local approaches, the hot spot structural stress approach, the notch stress and strain approach, and the fracture mechanics approach. The presentation includes spot-welded and seam welded joints in both steel and aluminum. Examples are taken from such fields as offshore engineering, shipbuilding, structural engineering, pressure vessels, and automotive engineering.
Dieter Radaj is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Braunschweig Technical University, Germany.
Cetin Morris Sonsino is Professor of Structural Durability at both Darmstadt University of Technology and Saarland University, Germany. He is also Deputy Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability at Darmstadt.
Wolfgang Fricke is Professor of Ship Structural Design and Analysis at Hamburg University of Technology, Germany.