ANALYTICAL AND FEM ASSESSMENT OF A DOUBLE-SIDED BUTTWELDED S1000QL SPECIMEN FOR TENSILE TESTING PREPARATION

High-strength quenched and tempered steels, such as S1000QL, are increasingly employed in applications where a high strength-to-weight ratio is essential, including heavy-duty structural components, transport equipment, and machinery subject to demanding service conditions. The combination of high tensile strength and relatively low weight offers significant design advantages. However, these benefits can only be fully realized if welded joints maintain comparable structural integrity and if testing protocols are robust enough to capture the actual mechanical performance. Achieving this requires a comprehensive approach that combines analytical calculations and numerical simulations, particularly finite element method (FEM) analyses, to predict and validate stress distributions, deformations, and potential failure mechanisms.