Fatigue strength maximization potential of different post weld treatment procedures with regard to the enhanced application of high-strength structural steels

Abstract In practice, the application of high-strength steels in fatigue-loaded welds is limited to components that are loaded with high mean stresses because the tolerable load amplitudes are frequently independent of the steel grade. Improvement techniques like peening methods or weld seam improvement offer high potentials, but these opportunities are strictly limited by the base material properties, which are related in the design rules to a low steel grade. Since this limitation makes the use of modern high-strength steels uneconomical, a revision of the design rules is recommended in order to enable the enhanced application of such steels in an efficient and more sophisticated manner. The paper shall give an impression of the extended capabilities of the fatigue strength that can be used in practice when improved manufacturing techniques are applied and controlled.