A Study of Fatigue Strength Improvement for Steel Casting Weld Joints

b GeoJe City, Gyeongsangnam-Do, Korea ABSTRACT Rudder horn, in ship structures, is typically attached on the shell plate by welding. It is an important part of steering systems and has possibilities of fatigue crack due to various fluctuating loads. In this study, therefore, fatigue strength assessment for casting weld joint is carried out by making fillet weld joint specimens with cast steel and carbon steel in order to evaluate the fatigue behavior of a rudder horn. The specimens were fabricated and tested for three different conditions such as pre-heating effect, shape of weld joint effect and welding position effect. Test results of each case are represented in terms of S-N curves and are compared for evaluating the effect of fatigue strength improvement.