INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

OF WELDING

INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL
DE LA SOUDURE

GERMAN DELEGATION

DLGATION ALLEMANDE
Prof. Dr. A. Hobbacher

University of Applied Sciences, Friedrich-Paffrath-Str. 101, D-26389 Wilhelmshaven, Germany

Tel. +49 4421 985 518, Fax +49 4421 985 403, e-mail: hobbacher@t-online.de

XV-1152-03
COMMISSION XV

Design, Analysis and Fabrication

of Welded Structures
MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION XV MEETING
AT THE IIW ANNUAL ASSEMBLY
IN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
6 - 9 July 2003

Final version

Chairman:
Vice Chairman:
Secretary:

Prof. A. Hobbacher (Germany)

Dr. J. Gerald (France); Prof. K. Horikawa (Japan)
R. Shaw (USA)

Schedule of plenary meetings of Commission XV:

Day
Date
8.30 - 12.30 am
14.00 - 18.00 pm
Mon
7 July
1. Meeting
Tue
8 July Com. XV invited to JWG 2. Meeting jointly with com. XIII
X-XV meeting
Wed
9 July
3.1 Meeting jointly with com. X
3.2 Meeting (16.00-18.00)

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

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Meeting on Monday, 7 July 2003 (14.00 to 18.00)

1. GENERAL QUESTIONS
Opening
Prof. Hobbacher opened the meeting with a welcome for the attendees to the Commission
XV meeting at 14:05.
Appointment of a Drafting Committee
Bob Shaw was approved to serve as the drafting committee, by concensus.
Approval of the final Agenda (XV-1130-03)
The Agenda was reviewed and adopted by concensus.
Minutes of the 2002 Annual Assembly in Copenhagen (XV-1126-02)
Adopted by concensus.
Annual Report of Commission XV for 2003 (XV-1128-03)
In the period 2002-2003, 17 meetings of working groups took place. They have been
attended by 45 participants from 10 countries. The chairman of he commission (Hobbacher) was re-elected for the next three years. The distribution of documents by email was
successful and will be maintained.
XV-A (statically loaded components) Design codes for high-strength steel have been
collected and are being reviewed.
XV- E (tubular structures) The fatigue recommendations for tubular structures have been
completed. They are on the way to ISO as a technical report. Static strength and high
strength steel are now under new consideration.
JWG XV-XIII (fatigue) There has been discussion of various papers as the joint meetings
with Comm XIII. Recommendations on FEA at structural hot spot stress analysis in
preparation. Update of the IIW Fatigue Recommendations is in final state and ready for
resolution.
JWG X-WV (RSDP) -- Round robin tests for computational prediction of residual stresses
and distortions are being planned and underway. Computation, measuring and experimental verification by test specimens are planned.
JWG X-XV (seismic) The document IIW Recommendations for Assessment of Risk of
Fracture in Seismically Affected Moment Connections has been completed and approved.
XV- WG9 (economy) For calculative optimization of welded structures, new cost

IIW Comm. XV

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functions have been refined. Several case studies have been presented. A comparison of
economy between bolted and welded frames was performed.
XV- WG11 (repair) Case studies and reports are being collected. A workshop on repair
is planned for Osaka.
The structure of Commission XV was reviewed. The following groups are without a chair:

SC XV-F on interaction between fabrication and design)

WG-8 on welded details

SG-1 on assembly of welded structures

SG-2 on ecological aspects

Review of the List of Members (XV-1129-03)
Some problems with certain e-mail addresses have been discussed. The documents will be
distributed according to the address list. It is the duties of the attendees and/or member
societies to review and correct as needed.
Check on Working Documents (XV-1131-03)
For ISO publications, IIW has requested that drawings be in vector format, not bitmap
format. This will be further investigated by file extension.This is not necessary for internal
IIW documents and for documents in Welding in the World.
The list of documents was reviewed for those distributed, those not distributed, or distributed very late. Members encouraged to submit documents at least two weeks in
advance of meetings.
General remarks on Working Program by the Chairman
General Frame

Development of design and analysis of welded joints and structures

Operational design and metallurgical aspects of fabrication and erection

Maintenance inspection and repair and strengthening of welded structures

economical and ecological aspects of design, fabrication erection and maintenance

XV-A (statically loaded components)

calculation of welded high-strength steel structures

updating recommendations on analysis on analysis of statically loaded welded

components

revision of ductility requirements, especially for high strength steels

material toughness requirements (in collaboration with Commission X)

XV-E (tubular structures)

design and analysis of statically and fatigue loaded structures

tubular structures made of high strength steels

SC-F (interaction between fabrication and design)

IIW Comm. XV

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SC is now in stand by condition

SC-G (seismic design)

Recommendations and case studies on seismic engineering of welded structures

JWG X-XV (RSDP)

calculative prediction and control of residual stresses and distortions

JWG XIII-XV (fatigue design and analysis)

recomendations for design and analysis of welded joints and components

WG-8 (welded details)

catalogue of welded details and their relative merits under various points of view
WG-9 (economical aspects)

methods considering econical aspects

case studies for optimization

problems related to design, fabrication, erection and maintenance costs

WG-10 (FEA at static load)

elastic and plastic FEA of welded structures

loads, stress definitions, etc.

WG-11 (repair)

recommendations on inspection, repair and strengthening of welded structures

repair and strengthening of bolted connnections

SG-1 (assembly of welded structures)

problems concerning assembly, erection and removal of welded structures

SG-2 (ecological aspects)

ecological aspects related to design, fabrication, erection, removal and recycling

2. CALCULATION, DESIGN AND FABRICATION
Activities of SC XV-A "Analysis of Statically Loaded Welded Components" by SC
Chairman N. GRESNIGT
XV-1132-03

Annual Report of Subcommission XV-A - Analysis of statically

loaded welded components (N Gresnigt )

The main task is to update the "old" IIW recommendations on the design and calculation
of fillet welds. A survey was carried out of present rules and standards on weld design and
calculation, and contributions were received from Canada, Sweden, Germany, the USA
(AWS and AISC) and Eurocode 3. Other countries are to follow. The results so far are laid
down in "Update on design rules for fillet welds" (IIW Doc. XV-A-18-2003).

IIW Comm. XV

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A preliminary proposal for the set-up of new design rules for the calculation of fillet welds
has been discussed. The questionnaire on fillet weld design, quality requirements and
research in various countries has discussed, finalised and sent to members of the Subcommission. Research into the factors that govern the strength and deformation capacity of
fillet welds and simple connections with fillet welds is encouraged. Such research is
necessary to achieve the main goal of the Subcommission: the set-up of better design rules.
3. ECONOMY
Annual report of Working Group XV-9 "Fabrication and Economical Aspects in Design
of Welded Structures and Details" by the Chairman J. JARMAI.
XV-1137-03

Annual report of WG XV-9 - Fabrication and Economical Aspects

in Design of Welded Structures and Details (Jrmai).

The Working Group met on Sunday, 6 July. The main topics of the Working Group are the
following:

to elaborate new cost functions for cost minimization

to use stability, stress, deflection, etc. constraints for design
to introduce new structural models
to use new mathematical models, finding the best

A successful conference on fabrication and economy was held entitled the International
Conference on Metal Structures, ICMS 2003 at the University of Miskolc, Hungary 3-5
April, 2003. Proceedings are available from Millpress Science Publishers, Netherlands,
www.millpress.com, ISBN 90 77017 75 5.
Upcoming conferences include:
International Symposium on Tubular Structures, ISTS10, September 18-20, 2003, Madrid
http://www.ictubular.es/ists10/
International Cost Engineering Council, 18th ICEC Congress and 4th World Congress, 1721April 2004, Cape Town, SA
http://www.be-events.co.za/index.html
2nd International Conference on Structural Engineering, 5-7 July 2004, Cape Town, SA
http://www.ebe.uct.ac.za/~semc2004
XV-1144-03

Optimum design of a belt-conveyor bridge constructed as a welded

ring-stiffened cylindrical shell (Farkas, Jarmai, Virag)

In the structural optimization of a ring-stiffened cylindrical shell, the unknown variables

are the shell thickness as well as the thickness and the number of flat rings. The shell
diameter allows for a belt-conveyor structure inside of the shell. The uniformly distributed

IIW Comm. XV

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normal load consists of dead and live load. The design constraints include the local shell
buckling strength, the panel ring buckling, and the deflection of the simply supported
bridge. The shell thickness does not depend on the number of ring stiffeners. The cost
function includes both material and fabrication costs. The fabrication cost function is
formulated according to the fabrication sequence and includes the cost of forming of shell
elements into the cylindrical shape and the cost of cutting and welding the flat plate ringstiffeners. The optimum number of ring stiffeners is calculated .
Motion by Costa to submit for publication as a Class A document, subject to editorial
review by the chairs of the Working Groups: XV-1144-03, entitled Optimum design of
a belt-conveyor bridge constructed as a welded ring-stiffened cylindrical shell (Farkas,
Jarmai, Virag). Passed 8-0-0 as RESOLUTION #1.
XV-1145-03

Optimum design and cost calculation of a simple frame with welded

or bolted corner joints (Jarmai, Farkas, Uys)

A single bay, one story steel planar frame is constructed from rolled I-profile elements
consisting of universal columns and a universal beam. The buckling strengths of the
columns and beam, according to Eurocode 3 (2002), constitute the design constraints. The
beam and column profiles are optimised to minimize the structural mass subject to the
design constraints for both a flush-end-plate bolted (semi-rigid) structure and a welded
(rigid) structure. The structure is subjected to a horizontal force and a uniformly distributed vertical load. Comparing the costs of these optimal solutions shows that the bolted
frame is 7% or 13% cheaper than the welded frame, on the basis of British and South
African cost data, respectively.
It can be concluded that the bolted connections are more economic than the fully welded
ones. However, the calculation is very sensitive to the given data concerning production
time. These data are different in various companies and countries as well. The scatter can
be relatively large between solutions, but making the calculation for a given frame using
actual time and cost data, one can get the result and can choose the type of connection.
Because the rotational stiffness of semi-rigid bolted connections is smaller than that of
welded ones, the maximum bending moment in an unbraced frame structure is smaller and
the beam section can be smaller. The difference between the fabrication costs is significant
as well. The disadvantage of bolted connections is the very complicated calculation of
rotational stiffness. This causes difficulties in the optimum design of frames with semirigid beam-to-column connections.
Motion by Costa to submit for publication as a Class A document, subject to editorial
review by the chairs of the Working Groups: XV-1145-03, Optimum design and cost
calculation of a simple frame with welded or bolted corner joints (Jarmai, Farkas, Uys).
Passed 9-0-0 as RESOLUTION #2.

IIW Comm. XV

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page 7

Meeting adjourned for the day, 5:40 pm.

Meeting on Tuesday, 8. July 2003 (14.00 to 18.00)
JOINT MEETING WITH COMMISSION XIII "Fatigue of Welded Components and
Structures
4. DESIGN OF WELDED TUBULAR STRUCTURES
Activities of SC XV-E "Welded Joints in Tubular Structures", by SC Chairman Zhao X.L.
(G. Davies reporting)
XV-1133-03
XIII-1981-03

Annual Report of Subcommission E - Welded Joints in Tubular

Structures (Zhao X.L. / J. Jarmai reporting)

Since the last Annual Report, the Subcommission has met twice: in Kumamoto University,
Japan, 3 June 2002 and at Hotel Le Pigonnet, France, 30 September 2002. No meeting of
the Subcommission is being scheduled in conjunction with the IIW 2003 Annual Assembly. The next meeting is scheduled for 20 September 2003 in Madrid, Spain after the 10th
International Symposium on Tubular Structures.
Mr. Glenn Ziegenfuss, IIW Standards Officer, has forwarded the subcommission results
of the ISO DIS ballot on ISO 14347 draft prepared by the subcommission. This ISO draft
was based on IIW Doc. XIII-1804-99 and IIW Doc. XV-1035-99. The ballot passed
unanimously with comments provided by ANSI (USA) and BSI (UK). The Subcommission prepared replies to ANSI and BSI's comments. The Subcommission also prepared
the final draft (IIW Doc. XV-E-03-276) after incorporating all the actions listed in IIW
Doc. XV-E-03-274 and IIW Doc. XV-E-03-275, and all other minor comments received
in the last 2 years. The above three documents (IIW Doc. XV-E-03-274, IIW Doc. XV-E03-275 and IIW Doc. XV-E-03-276) have been submitted to Mr. H. Glenn Ziegenfuss for
processing to ISO as a final draft for balloting at the FDIS. The voting was carried out
according to IIW rules. It passed 11-0-0 as RESOLUTION #3.
The next major task of the subcommission is to update the IIW Static Strength Recommendations for Welded Tubular Joints to incorporate research results in the last 13 years. The
major items that require updating were identified as CHS to CHS joints:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Plate to CHS or RHS joints

Reinforced joints
Multiplanar joints
Loading cases
Validity range of parameters
High strength steels

This third edition will be formatted at the outset as an ISO draft specification, but still

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

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submitted for approval via IIW, in the same manner as has been done for the fatigue
strength recommendations. The second draft is under preparation and will be discussed at
the next subcommission meeting to be held in Madrid, Spain, 20 September. It is expected
that the third draft be distributed at the 2004 IIW Annual Assembly to be held in Osaka for
voting by National delegates to IIW Commission.
No technical documents were submitted.
5. FATIGUE DESIGN
Activities of JWG XIII-XV "Calculation of Welded Joints Subject to Dynamic Load", by
JWG Chairman A. HOBBACHER
XV-1136-03
XIII-1988-02

Annual Report of Joint Working Group XIII-XV - Calculation of

Welded Joints Subject to Dynamic Load (A. Hobbacher et al.)

In the last period, two meetings have been organized, at the IIW Annual Assembly in
Copenhagen, Denmark, 23 June 2002 and the interim meeting in Lappeenranta, Finland,2.
March 2003. The main focus of the work of the group was the updating of the IIW Fatigue
Design Recommendations (Doc. # XIII-1965-03 / XV 1127-03). The discussions have
reached a final state and so a basic resolution can be made. Finetuning and editorial
smoothening can be done later. Several items have been and are currently in the center of
discussions, as follows:
1. Improved recommendations on structural stress (Niemi / Fricke)
2. Introduction of post-weld improvement techniques (Haagensen / Maddox)
3. Review and discussion of detail catalogue jointly with the Eurocode bodies
4. Review of the effect of residual welding stress on fatigue
5. Recalculation of tables for simplified assessment of cracks
6. Expansion of notch stress method to aluminium
7. Refined statistical procedures for testing and evaluation
8. Consistency of different assessment methods
Still in discussion are two topics:
1. More detailed consideration of complex loading problems
2. Questions of cumulative damage calculations
XV-1127-03
XIII-1965-03

Recommendations for Fatigue Design of Welded Joints and Components

(Hobbacher)

The aim of the Recommendations is to provide a basis for the design and analysis of
welded components loaded by fluctuating forces, to avoid failure by fatigue. In addition
they may assist other bodies who are establishing fatigue design codes. It is assumed that
the user has a working knowlegde of the basics of fatigue and fracture mechanics.

IIW Comm. XV

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The recommendations present general methods for the assessment of fatigue damage in
welded components, which may affect the limit states of a structure, such as ultimate limit
state and servicability limited state. They give fatigue resistance data for welded components made of wrought or extruded products of ferritic/pearlitic or bainitic structural steels
up to fy=960 MPa, of austenitic stainless steels and of aluminium alloys commonly used
for welded structures. The recommendations are not applicable to low cycle fatigue, where
Fnom > 1.5Afy , max Fnom > fy, for corrosive conditions or for elevated temperature operation
in the creep range.
Motion by Shaw to publish as a Class B document, subject to final editorial corrections
and clarifications by the concerned WG Chairman of Commissions XV and XIII, and the
Chairmen of Commissions XV and XIII. Passed 22-0-0, as a combined vote of delegates
of Commissions XV and XIII as RESOLUTION #4.
6. FATIGUE OF WELDED STRUCTURES
XV-1147-03
XIII-1996-03

Economic study on fatigue design of the effect of hammer peening

treatment in welded joints (C. A. Moura Branco, V. Infante)

An economic study for the fatigue design of a welded structure was carried out where
improvement techniques were compared in terms of minimum cost design. The case study
was a simply supported beam subjected to fatigue loading. Three different conditions were
analysed: (1) as-welded structure, (2) hammer peening of all weld details, and (3) hammer
peening of selected critical details. The hammer peening conditions are illustrated by the
minimization of the cost function that contains an additional cost factor for the applied
treatment. In optimum design, by minimizing a cost function, safety is guaranteed, but
include design constraints on strength and fabrication.
Post-welding treatment diminished the optimum dimensions, giving a substantial reduction
of costs. Comparing the three situations, the cost of the as-welded structure alone is greater
than that of hammer peened structures. Hammer peening of all welds reduced the cost by
10-13%, and hammer peening critical details only provided a cost reduction of 18-20%.
XV-1146-03
XIII-2000-03

Fatigue capacity of fillet welded connections subjected to axial and

shear loading (I. Lotsberg)

The objective of this work is to develop a suitable methodology for fatigue assessment of
fillet welds subjected to simple or complex normal and/or shear stresses in relevant
Floating Platform Storage Offshore (FPSO) details from the view point of weld throat
failure. The work is performed within the FPSO Fatigue Capacity JIP (Joint Industry
Program).
The status on current design recommendations concerning the fatigue capacity of fillet
welds was presented by Dr. Maddox (2002), based on a literature survey. In order to
examine the validity of the recommendations and to supplement the fatigue test data base,
a test matrix with 33 specimens was developed. This included 8 simple fillet welded

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

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cruciform joints that were subjected to axial loading and 25 fillet welded tubular specimens that were subjected to axial load and/or torsion for simulation of a combined stress
condition in the fillet weld. The test data are also compared with design guidance from
IIW (1996), Eurocode 3 (1993) and Det Norske Veritas DNV-RP-C203 (2001).
Based on this work the following conclusions can be drawn:

There was no evidence from the fatigue test results to indicate that there is a
thickness effect related to the size of the fillet weld or the main plate thickness.
The equation for the stress concentration factor at the roots of fillet welds in
cruciform joints to allow for misalignment-induced bending presented by Maddox (2002) was found to be reasonable.
The test data with pure tangential shear in the fillet weld indicated that IIW and
Eurocode are conservative by a factor of 10 on life for this loading condition.
However, they were in reasonable agreement with the mean line of DNV-RPC203.
The mean S-N curve fitted to the results for pure tangential shear in the fillet
weld had a slope in between those of the IIW/Eurocode and DNV-RP-C203.
The ratio of Fmin/Fmax with respect to parallel shear stress does not seem to have
a significant effect on the fatigue life.
Based on a comparison with the test results obtained for combined stresses in the
fillet weld, the design procedure in IIW and Eurocode was found to be on the
safe side.
Comparison of the same data with the design procedure in DNV-RP-C203
showed it to be marginally on the safe side for the endurances considered. The
approach in DNV-RPC203 for combined stresses becomes more conservative
compared to IIW and Eurocode with a higher number of fatigue cycles.

7. STRUCTURAL STRESS APPROACH AND FINITE ELEMENT METHODS

Activities of the combined group WG XV-10 and WG XIII-3 on finite element analysis by
Mr. Fricke.
XV-1138-03

Annual Report of WG XV-10 and WG XIII-3 (Fricke)

After the Annual Assembly of IIW 2002 in Copenhagen, where W. Fricke was appointed
as Chairman, one interim meeting was held in Lappenranta/Finland on March 11, 2003
The editorial group (E. Niemi, S.Maddox, W. Fricke) finalised the Structural Hot-spot
Stress Approach To Fatigue Analysis Of Welded Components - Designers Guide (XV1090-00, XIII-1810-01 by E. Niemi). In addition to several minor modifications and
clarifications by inserting overview figures and tables, the chapters were re-arranged to
keep all information on finite element analysis together. Furthermore, recent developments
such as the structural stress method by P. Dong, were discussed and addressed briefly in
one subchapter.

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

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The WG contributed mainly to three topics of the updated IIW Fatigue Recommendations:

Finite element modelling to determine structural hot-spot stresses

Application of the structural hot-spot stress approach to cases with post weld
treatment

Consideration of stress magnification due to misalignment in the structural hotspot approach

For future work, the proposal has been made to prepare a guidance on the effective notch
stress approach,
XV-1151-03

Finite element calculations and assessment of static stresses in load

carrying fillet welded joints (Fricke et al)

Fillet welds have to be designed with a sufficient strength with respect to static as well as
cyclic loads. The present paper deals with the calculation of the relevant stresses for static
strength, which are usually assessed regarding the ultimate load-carrying capacity of the
weld. After reviewing the current procedure, where nominal stress components in the weld
throat are determined analytically, the application of the finite element method is demonstrated by the example of a fillet-welded lifting-eye. The stresses from coarse and fine
meshes are compared with the analytical results. High stress peaks are observed in fine
meshes. Some problems occur when deriving the nominal stress components in the weld
from the element stresses in the finite element models. A non-linear calculation with the
fine-mesh model shows the redistribution of stresses after yielding, where the high stress
peaks resulting from the linear stress analysis disappear. Finally conclusions are drawn
with respect to the calculation of nominal stress components in fillet welds from finite
element models, which can be used in the subsequent strength assessment of the welds.
Coarse 3D finite element meshes, where the fillet weld is represented by only one or two
solid elements in the cross section, yield results which may under-estimate the stresses in
the weld by more than 50 %, if these are derived from the stresses only in the weld
elements or in the opposite elements in the plates. This is due to the fact that the nodal
forces between the elements create also stresses in the adjacent elements at the root gap
which have to be considered when calculating the averaged weld stresses. Even in this
case, the differences can still be relatively large, as the example has shown. Reliable
stresses are only derived from nodal forces acting in a section through the weld and
referred - as usual - to the throat thickness.
The equivalent stresses calculated in accordance with the codes show large differences
between the analyses. Particularly the analytical formulae yield high stresses at the ends
of the weld under in-plane bending and torsional loads, which would result in a conservative design. Here, the finite element analysis gives more realistic values, as far as the
stresses are averaged through the weld throat. A further stress redistribution along the
welds due to yielding can increase the load-carrying capacity considerably. However, its
utilization in design is questionable due to uncertainties related to modelling aspects as
well as possible weld imperfections.

IIW Comm. XV
XV-1140-03
XIII-1977-03

XV-1552-04

page 12

Experimental Investigation and Finite Element Analysis of T-Joint

Profile under Axial Loading (M. Haghpanahi and A. Ravan)

Increasing progress in computer science and related software have made finite element
methods one of the most efficient tools in analyzing welded joints. For a precise verification of the experimental results, a FEA seems to be essential. An experimental and numerical investigation of strains in welded T-joints profiles under axial loading was performed.
It is a practice to model a welded T-joint using isoparametric brick elements for the
brace/chord intersection region, including the weldment. However, it is an extremely
tedious procedure to use mapped solid elements and a sufficient merge condition at all
nodes lying on the interface between the weld toe and profile. The study also provides the
sensitivity analysis of different weld toe models and sizes. The obtained experimental
results were in good agreement with the FEM results, showing that modeling based on
solid elements using a mapped mesh method can be used as an efficient method to model
joint profiles. A model based on the consideration of weld region and brace as a united
volume is suggested, using fewer elements, causing less error yet has a high reliability.
Despite all experimental errors (operator errors, design tolerances) the numerical results
with within an acceptable engineering tolerance.
XV-1148-03
XIII-1991-03

Determination of the structural hot spot stress using the finite element method - a comparison of current procedures (I. Poutianen, P.
Tanskanen, J. Martinsson, M. Byggnevi)

Three methods for determining the structural hot spot stress for fatigue analysis of welded
structures are evaluated: (1) linear surface extrapolation (LSE), (2) through thickness at
the weld toe (TTWT), and (3) Dong method. The methods were used to evaluate finite
element analysis limits and accuracy obtained for a simple 2D structure, a 3D structural
detail and for complex 3D structures in an industrial application. LSE and TTWT are
based on normal stresses while the Dong method also requires that shear stresses are
generally correct. For 2D models, TTWT and Dong gave uniform results for virtually all
mesh variations used in this study. Good results for LSE were obtained when using nearequal sided elements. For 3D structures, the Dong method requires more care during
meshing and is numerically more demanding than other methods during post processing
. When TTWT is used for 3D structures, the computed structural stress is virtually identical to that found using Dong, but the meshing requirements are somewhat easier and the
post processing requires only that nodal averaging be considered.
XV-1149-03
XIII-1993-03

Equivalent structural stress approach to fatigue analysis of a tubular

joint - Case study with fatigue challenge by the SAE Fatigue evaluation and design committee (H. Kyuba, P. Dong, J.K.Hong, presented
by N. Chen)

The Equilibrium-Equivalent Structural Stress method has been recently developed through
several joint industry projects as a robust method to analyze welded components using the
finite element method. This method has demonstrated its effectiveness in correlating the
previous fatigue test results available in the literature. The authors employed this

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

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Equilibrium-Equivalent Structural Stress method for a competition organized by the SAE

Fatigue Design & Evaluation Committee to predict the fatigue life of a tubular joint.
Among all the methods used by many participants, the authors life prediction was selected
as the best, based on actual test results. This paper provides the details of the SAE fatigue
challenge problem definition, test results, and our structural stress approach. The predicted
mean life by the Equilibrium-Equivalent Structural Stress method utilizing the proposed
ASME Div. II Structural Stress curve achieved excellent agreement with the mean life of
the experimental results. Other stress indexes (such as the maximum principal stress and
the von Mises stress) had maximum stress at a location different from the crack location.
Furthermore, the Equilibrium-Equivalent Structural Stress showed significant mesh
tolerance with only a few percent difference in stress when halving the mesh size.
Additional parametric investigations were also performed to examine other stress parameters and weld representation issues. Some of major findings were:
1)
The E2S2 can adequately capture failure location and provide a good life prediction to the rather complicated tubular joints under complex loading;
2)
The E2S2 parameter showed an excellent insensitivity to mesh sizes and element
types;
3)
The simple representation of the weld in shell models is proven to be adequate
through the comparison between the shell and solid element results;
4)
In general, a shell model with the weld profile is recommended for using the
E2S2 method because it provides a good approximation in representing actual
load transfer mechanisms in complex joints;
5)
It is difficult to use the conventional FEA stress outputs such as the maximum
principal stress and the von Mises stress at the weld toe locations since they
show the maximum values at the location different from the actual failure locations detected in experiments and since they show their strong mesh/element
sensitivities.

Meeting on Wednesday 9 July 2003 (14.00 - 18.00)

JOINT MEETING WITH COMMISSION X "Structural performance of welded
joints, fracture avoidance" (14.00 - 16.00)
8. RESIDUAL STRESSES AND DISTORTION
Activities of JWG XV-X "Residual stresses and distortion prediction and control", by J.
JANOSCH
XV-1135-03
X-1535-03

Annual Report of Joint Working Group X-XV - Residual Stresses

and Distortion Prediction and Control (J. Janosch)

JWG meeting was held 8 July 2003 from 8:30 - 12:30. The current working program
includes:
(1) Eexecution of a second phase of round robin, made in 2D and 3D so as to define the

IIW Comm. XV

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page 14

standard IIW procedure used for predicting the residual stress state and the distortion in
welded structures. The results of the 2D (dimensional) simulation were presented last year
during the IIW assembly in Copenhagen. The new 3D protocol (doc IIW-X/XIII/XVRSDP-075-03) was sent to the members in January 03. It represents the 3D application of
the GTAW welding process of the butt weld in an austenitic stainless steel plate. The new
objectives are to predict in 3D the residual stress distributions and the global distortion of
the assembly. Final report will be presented in Osaka in 2004. Jean Jacques Janosch is
leading this action.
(2) Execution of a experimental Round robin of Residual Stress measurement made of
Welded reference plates (used for the Theme 1) in order to draft a guideline on utilisation
of existing methods and evaluating performance and limitation of each technology. Most
of the activity in 2003 was dedicated to the welded assembly manufacturing. This action
is leaded by CEA and is also providing the plates and realizing the welding. Three first
welding assemblies will be available for Summer time. This action is led by Prof. Wohlfahrt.
(3) Drafting of a compendium to collect and identify the existing numerical or experimental data, in order to constitute a collection of normalized IIW Doc with profiles of residual
stresses and distortion in welded assemblies (fillet welds, butt welds, branch pipes, pipes,
etc.). This action is led by Pingsha Dong.
(4) Definition of a reference guide for Design Departments.
XV-1141-03

First 3D modelling results on residual stress, Report of Round Robin

Test Phase II (IIW-X-XII-XV-RSDP-77-03) (J. Janosch)

The round robin phase II began with a 2D modelling application (IIW-X/XV-RSDP-6001) and was essentially designed to take into account the lessons learn from the first
exercise. The objectives were to provide a rigorous, accurate and adapted experimental
database to the partners to predict in 2D the GTAW welding process of a butt weld in an
austenitic stainless steel The expected results were the prediction of the thermal cycles,
residual stress distributions and distortion of the plates. As compared to the first exercise,
the analysis of the results (IIW-X/XV-RSDP-68-03) evidenced a significant improvement
of the quality and homogeneity of the results. Nevertheless, some differences in results
were still present on thermal cycles and residual stresses distributions. The first analysis
evidenced that these variations should be linked with: (1) the modeling method of the
welding heat input which affects the thermal cycle - influence of heating slopes and
cooling slopes, and the maximum peak temperature value, (2) mesh size effects near the
notch (weld toe & root) which affect the peak stress, (3) the mechanical model used for the
3rd dimension, and (4) remelt zone history of the first weld by modeling the second
deposit (strain history).
The second part is to continue the round robin action with a 3D modelling. Document IIWX/ XIII/XV-RSDP-75-03 presents the 3D modelling protocol of the GTAW welding
process application previously used for the 2D simulation. The objectives are to predict,
in 3D, the residual stress distributions and distortion. The modelling results will be then
correlated with the experimental measurements realized in parallel by RSDP experimental
round robin action.

IIW Comm. XV
XV-1142-03

XV-1552-04

page 15

Experimental Residual Stress Measurement, Round Robin Report

(IIW-X-XIII-XV-RSDP-78-03) (H. Wohlfahrt)

Prof. Wohlfart summarized the proposed research using three welded austenic stainless
steel plates, identifying the nine to ten laboratories that will be participating and which
methods each participant will be using - X-ray, neutron-D, hole drilling, deep-hole drilling, sectioning, and perhaps holography (Paton).
XV-1143-03

Compendium of Residual Stress, Report (P. Dong, USA)

This document summarizes the residual stress distributions based on the on-going X-XIIIXV joint working group (JWG) round robin efforts on the compilation of the existing
residual stress distributions for welded joints initiated two years ago within the IIW
community. The present focus is on the residual stress distributions in pipe and vessel
welds, since more rigorous validations are mostly available in these applications in
performing structural integrity assessments. Based on the submissions from some of the
participants in the IIW RSDP joint working group and publications in open literature to
date, the residual stress distributions in pipe and vessel welds can be compiled based on
two important categories: (a) self-equilibrating dominant type and (b) bending dominant
type. Various available and credible residual stress solutions collected to date are then
documented based on such a categorization. To facilitate the interpretation of the residual
stress results documented, additional explanations on the underlying mechanics that
connects the two important types of residual stress distributions were presented.
The following important findings as far as girth welds are concerned, although detailed
parametric relationships still remain to be developed through both on-going and future
development efforts:
(1)
Two characteristic residual stress distributions exist in girth welds in terms of
throughthickness axial residual stresses. One is of bending-dominated type; and
the other is of self-equilibrating dominated type,
(2)
Hoop residual stress distributions tend to be relatively invariant due to typically
high restraint conditions in the hoop direction. To a large extent, overall throughthickness distribution of the hoop residual stress distributions can be related to
axial residual stresses, in addition to their equilibrium requirements in the hoop
direction, and
(3)
Among the various parameters examined, pipe radius plays the most critical role
in determining the overall bending content of a given residual stress distribution.
To a less degree, pipe wall thickness and number of passes further contribute to
the bending content. Weld pass sequence and heat input per pass mostly contribute though-wall variations in a localized manner for typical applications.
9. EARTHQUAKE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Activities of SC XV-G "Fundamentals of seismic design and fabrication of welded
structures", by SC Chairman G. DAVIES, reported by R Shaw

IIW Comm. XV
XV-1134-03
X-????-03

XV-1552-04

page 16

Annual Report of Subcommission G - Interaction of Seismic

Design and Fabrication of Welded Structures (G. Davies)

The activities of SC XV-G have been entirely devoted to developing the report IIW
Recommendations for Assessment of the Risk of Fracture in Seismically Affected Moment
Connections, XV-1102-02, X-1504-02. That task has been completed. Minor editorial
improvements to text and tables have been incorporated in the final version submitted in
March 2003. Prof. Burdekin will be giving the final lecture at the IIW International
Conference on Thursday entitled Selection of Materials for Avoidance of Fracture in
Welded Steel Moment Frame Structures Subject to Seismic Loading.
It is the recommendation of XV-G to discontinue the JWG with Commission X. SC XV-G
should continue. The position of chairman of XV-G is uncertain at the moment, but will
be resolved soon. A working program will be prepared and presented in Osaka.
XV-1150-03

Full scale testing of beam-to-column connections with partial joint

penetration groove welded joints) Azuma K, Kurobane Y, Dale K,
Makino Y)

This paper concerns the applicability of partial joint penetration (PJP) groove welds for
beam-to-column connections. Two full-sized beam-to-column connections with PJP
groove welds at the ends of the beam bottom flanges were tested under cyclic loads. When
the unfused regions created by PJP groove welds were reinforced by fillet welds so that the
welded joints have a sufficient cross-sectional area, ductile cracks grew stably and, in
consequence, the connections showed sufficient deformation capacity. Test results were
reproduced well by non-linear FE analyses. Strains sustained at points around internal
discontinuities were found to be low because of greater cross-sectional areas of welded
joints compared with the cross-sectional area of the beam flanges. Fracture toughness
properties of numerically modeled connections were evaluated by using a recently developed fracture mechanics approach.
Both the test results and the fracture mechanics-based assessment demonstrated that it is
unlikely to initiate brittle fracture at these discontiuitites. Strain and de-flection measurements as well as FE analysis results showed that strains sustained at the end portions of the
beam flanges before cracks extended significantly were about equal in magnitude irrespectively of the specimen type. Nevertheless, crack growth and failure behavior varied
significantly with the details of connections.
A modified fracture mechanics approach was examined on two full-scale connections
using strains obtained by FE analyses. The method was found to be applicable; the predictions happened to exactly coincide with the test results. However, some difficulties in the
proposed approach lies in how to evaluate the effect of plastic constraint and of ductile
crack growth. The connections and loading conditions had to be represented by reproducible numerical models, because the method requires local strains at points where flaws exist
on the assumption that no flaw exists. Further experimental verifications to evaluate the
fracture toughness of various joints with weld defects are required to make the proposed
assessment method more reliable.

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

page 17

10. ASSEMBLY, REPAIR AND ECOLOGY

Annual Report of com. XV Study Group on Repair of Welded Components by Chairman
R. SHAW.
XV-1139-03

Annual report of SG XV on Repair of Welded Components (Shaw)

Since formation as a study group, three meetings have been held. An organizational
meeting was held in Ljubljana on 8 July 2001, and a follow-up meeting was held in Tokyo
on 3 April, 2002. A brief meeting was held in Copenhagen to refine the Working Program,
as below. The meeting scheduled for Bucharest was cancelled because of lack of time.
Efforts have focused on securing and distributing documents relative to the subject matter
to interested participants in the Working Group, and documents have been made available
on a page at www.steelstructures/IIW_files/IIW-XV-WG11.htm. All attempts to secure the
previous files collected by Biskup have failed. Many more documents are needed before
a focused effort can be made to thoroughly review and update the Biskup paper of 1988.
The Working Group intends to solidify the participation and assign specific portions to
interested individuals. This will enable the detailed review of the Biskup document by
individual section, and allow for follow-up dissemination of information.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Review and update Biskup 1988 paper Recommendations for repairs and/or
strengthening of steel structures, as needed.
Exchange information in codes and standards, standard practices, and research
data in several topics related to repair
Publish design guidelines, as appropriate, addressing the above topics
Collect and publish case studies of examples of repair and/or strengthening of
existing structures affected by corrosion, overload, impact or fire, using print,
CD or internet
Provide review and comment on section 5.5 (Repair) of IIW Recommendations
for Fatigue Design of Welded Joints and Components
Hold a workshop jointly with Commission XIII's Working Group 5 in Osaka in
July 2004.

11. INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

none
12. WORKING PROGRAM
XV-1020-99

Working Program of Commission XV (Hobbacher)

The working program was reviewed. Member societies will be asked to submit applications for the position of Chairman for XV-F, WG-8, SG-1. No changes to the working
program were proposed.
Prof. Radu Bancila of Romania volunteered to take on the chairmanship of SG-2 on

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

page 18

Ecology. He was duly elected under RESOLUTION #5. Motion to name Prof. Radu
Bancila the Chairman of SG-2. Approved 8-0-0.

13. MISCELLANEA
Future Annual Assemblies:
2004 Annual Assembly in Osaka
2005 Annual Assembly in Prague
2006 Annual Assembly in Quebec City
2007 Annual Assembly in Croatia
2008 Annual Assembly in Austria
An intermediate meeting has been tentatively scheduled for late February in Portugal, with
Commission XIII..
IIW Website - Glenn Ziegenfuss (presented on Tuesday afternoon)

over 1300 documents currently downladable

over 1100 weekly visits (many more just prior to Annual Assembly)

send documents in .doc (Word) or (.pdf (Adobe)

for standardization documents at ISO, figures must be in .dxf (vectorial picture) no bitmaps (but this is not applicable to IIW only documents)

a new private forum feature is available for Commission, Subcommission and

Working Group activities
The Commission adjourned its business at 17:00, with thanks to the Chairman and the
hope to see each other again in Osaka Japan next year.

A. Hobbacher
Chairman of IIW Commission XV

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

page 19

List of Resolutions 2003

IIW Commission XV
Resolution #1:
To submit the following document as a class A document for publication in Welding in the
World, subject to an editorial review by the chairs of the working units of Com. XV:
XV-1144-03

Optimum design of a belt-conveyor bridge constructed as a welded

ring-stiffened cylindrical shell (Farkas, Jarmai, Virag)

Resolution #2:
To submit the following document as a class A document for publication in Welding in the
World, subject to an editorial review by the chairs of the working units of Com. XV:
XV-1144-03

Optimum design of a belt-conveyor bridge constructed as a welded

ring-stiffened cylindrical shell (Farkas, Jarmai, Virag)

Resolution #3:
To transmit the following IIW document to ISO as a proposed international standard (ISO
work item: ISO/WD 14347-1) according to Route II.
XV-E-276-03
ex XV-1035-99

Fatigue Design Procedure for Welded Hollow Section Joints Part 1

Resolution #4:
To publish the following document as a class B document, subject to final editorial
corrections and clarifications by the concerned WG chairmen of the commissions XIII and
XV and the chairmen of commissions XIII and XV.
XV-1127-03
XIII-1965-03

Recommendations for Fatigue Design of Welded Joints and Components (Hobbacher et al.)

Resolution #5:
Prof. Radu Bancila to take the chair of com XV Study Group 2 on ecological apects.
A. Hobbacher
Chairman of IIW Commission XV

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

page 20

Annual IIW Assembly 2003

List of attendees of Com. XV
Name

Country

Position

7 July

8 July

9 July

Agerskov, H

Denmark

Azuma, K

Japan

Bancila, R

Romania

Baron, O

Romania

Beloev, M

Bulgaria

Branco, C

Portugal

Chapetti, M D

Argentina

Chen, N

USA

Costa, G

Italy

Dong, P

USA

Farkas, J

Hungary

Fricke, W

Germany

Gerald, J

France

Haagensen, P.

Norway

Hermans, M

Netherlands

Highpanahi, M

Iran

Hobbacher, A

Germany

Chairman

Horikawa, K

Japan

Ishikawa, T

Japan

Iwata, T

Japan

Janosch, J J

France

Jarmai, K

Hungary

Kinomoto, T

Japan

Klobcar, D

Slovenia

Kueppeus, M

Germany

Lobanov, L

Ukraine

Lotsberg, I

Norway

Machida, F

Japan

Maddox, S

UK

Marquis, G

Finland

Martinsson, J

Sweden

Mateiu, H

Romania

Miki, C

Japan

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X
X

X
X

X
X

IIW Comm. XV

XV-1552-04

page 21

Milicevic, R

Serbia +Mn

Mochizuki, M

Japan

Mori, T

Japan

Murakawa, H

Japan

Nakagomi, T

Japan

Narstrm, T

Sweden

Ono, S

X
X

X
X
X

Japan

Panezic, S

Canada

Partene, C

Romania

Samuelsson, J

Sweden

Shaw, R

USA

Stankovic, D

Serbia+Mn

Stevanovic, R

Serbia+Mn

Suganuma, H

Japan

Szubryt, M

Poland

Takemi, K

Japan

Woerner, W

New Zealand

Wohlfahrt, H

Germany

A. Hobbacher
Chairman of IIW Commission XV

X
X

Kurzbericht von der IIW Jahresversammlung 2003 in Bukarest, 6.-9.7.2003

IIW Kommission XV
Grundlagen der Konstruktion, Berechnung und Fertigung
von Schweikonstruktionen
Vorsitzender:

Prof. Dr. A. Hobbacher (Deutschland)

Neben sechs Arbeitsgruppen-Sitzungen hat die Kommission an drei Tagen getagt. Es waren 49 Teilnehmer aus 28
Lndern anwesend. Insgesamt wurden zwischen den Jahresversammlungen 17 Arbeitsgruppen-Sitzungen
durchgefhrt. Neben den allgemeinen und organisatorischen Dingen wurden 22 technisch-wissenschaftliche
Dokumente vorgestellt und diskutiert.
Die Arbeitsgruppe fr statische Berechnung (Gresnigt NL) konzentriert ihre Aktivitten auf die Berechnung bei
hochfesten Sthlen. Zur Zeit werden Daten gesammelt und ausgewertet. Ein besonderes Problem ist die in vielen
Regelwerken aufgestellte Forderung nach 15% Bruchdehnung, die bei hochfesten Sthlen nur teilweise erfllt werden
kann. Die Gruppe fr Rohrkonstruktionen (Zhao AUS) hat die Empfehlungen zum schwingfesten Bemessen auf das
ISO-Format umgearbeitet und auf den Weg gebracht. Mit einer entsprechenden Resolution wurde die Weiterleitung
an ISO beschlossen. Die weiteren Arbeiten werden sich nun auf eine Aktualisierung der 14 Jahre alten statischen
Bemessungsregeln konzentrieren, wobei auch hochfeste Sthle betrachtet werden sollen.
Die mit der Kommission XIII gemeinsam gefhrte Arbeitsgruppe (Hobbacher D) hat die Aktualisierung der IIWEmpfehlungen zu Schwingfestigkeit soweit fertiggestellt, dass sie in einer Resolution angenommen werden konnte.
Verschiedene Feinabstimmungen werden noch vorgenommen. Neu sind die Einfhrung einer groben FEMElementierung beim Strukturspannungsnachweis, die rechnerische Erfassung des Effektes der Nachbehandlungen zur
Steigerung der Schwingfestigkeit und der Kerbspannungsnachweis bei Aluminium. Dieses Dokument ist zur Zeit das
einzige Regelwerk, welches alle aktuelle Nachweismethoden in konsistenter Weise anwenderunabhngig vereinigt.
Die Arbeitsgruppe fr finite Elemente hat unter ihrem neuen Vorsitzenden (Fricke D) die Arbeiten ganz auf die
Elementierung beim Strukturspannungsnachweis konzentriert. Aus wirtschaftlichen Grnden werden grobe FEMNetze angestrebt. Die Arbeiten sind soweit abgeschlossen, dass sie in die neue Aktualisierung der IIW-Empfehlungen zur Schwingfestigkeit bernommen werden konnten. In Zukunft sollen Empfehlungen zum Kerbspannungsnachweis aufgestellt werden.
Das Beherrschen des Verzuges und der Eigenspannungen ist fr die Schweikonstruktion fundamental. Die mit
Kommission X gemeinsam gefhrte Arbeitsgruppe (Janosch F) befasst sich mit der rechnerischen Vorhersage. Durch
internationale Ringversuche sollen die Ergebnisse von Modell-Bauteilen verglichen werden. Die erste Phase wurde
bereits abgeschlossen. Sie zeigt, dass noch ein erheblicher Forschungsaufwand ntig ist. In der nun angelaufenen
zweiten Phase sollen dreidimensionale Standard-Methoden entwickelt werden.
Die Arbeit der Gruppe zur erdbebensicheren Konstruktion (Davies UK) ist mit der Fertigstellung des Dokuments zu
Bewertung des Risikos von erdbebenbelasteten Konstruktionen in gewisser Weise abgeschlossen. Gleichwohl
besteht weiter das Bedrfnis, eine Gruppe zu haben, in welcher konstruktive Probleme gesammelt und diskutiert
werden knnen. Nchstes Jahr soll eine neuer Vorsitzender gewhlt und ein neues Arbeitsprogramm aufgestellt
werden.
Die Fragen der Wirtschaftlichkeit der Schweikonstruktionen werden in einer besonderen Arbeitsgruppe (Jarmai HU)
behandelt. Es wurden wiederum mehrere Beispiele vorgestellt, bei denen die gnstigste Ausfhrung mit rechnerischer
Optimierung ermittelt wurde. Die Gruppe zur Reparatur von Schweikonstruktionen (Shaw USA) arbeit eng mit der
entsprechenden Gruppe der Kommission XIII zusammen. Das Ziel ist, die Empfehlungen aus dem Jahre 1988 zu
aktualisieren. Zur Zeit wird Material gesammelt, das spter als Grundlage fr eine neue Empfehlung dienen soll. Fr
nchstes Jahr ist in Osaka eine grere Arbeitssitzung zu diesem Problemkreis vorgesehen. Die Arbeitsgruppe zur
kologie der Schweikonstruktionen wurde aktiviert. Ein neuer Vorsitzender konnte gewonnen werden (Bancila RO).