Discussion on local approaches for the fatigue design of welded joints

Design of welded structures under fatigue is governed by two conflicting requirements: to minimize weight without compromising structure safety. Any theoretical and/or numerical approaches are necessarily based on some simplifying assumptions which, because of the complexity of fatigue phenomena, could miss some aspects involved in the real structure behaviour. On the other side, experimental approaches provide direct information on structure behaviour. In view of this, the paper will underline the importance of experimental observations and practical procedures to evaluate the stress/strain magnitude that could lead some components to unsafe working conditions. Experimental approaches may greatly support designers in all industrial applications where fast and reliable responses are strongly needed. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.