Does metallurgy affect the residual notch stress intensity factor value induced by welding operations? A comprehensive study via a 3D numerical model

Abstract The residual notch stress intensity factor (R-NSIF) was found useful to quantify the influence of residual stresses on fatigue life of welded joints. Its distribution along the weld bead was recently assessed by using a 3D model. Those works focused only on the calibration of the model rather than an analysis of the R-NSIF values as a function of alloy metallurgy. This work wants to fill that gap. Both a carbon steel and an aluminum alloy were considered. Phase transformations are found to significantly influence the R-NSIF distribution with values that are more accurate compared to those obtained via previous models.