Application of WEL.FA.RE. method on aluminum alloy welded joints

This work shows experimental data of WEL.FA.RE local strain method (WELded joints FAtigue REsistance) experimentation on aluminum alloy welded joints. The WEL.FA.RE. local strain method starts from the idea that the fatigue strength of welded joints depends on the whole stress-strain field near the critical zone. Therefore, it chooses a local parameter (the local strain amplitude εa) for describing the fatigue behavior of the component. This local parameter is experimentally measured with strain gages bonded at the real weld toe because of the high stress-strain gradients localized in this area. Recently the WEL.FA.RE. method has been widely tested on several structural steel welded joints of different global geometry (angular, T, butt and cruciform welded joints) and subjected to load ratios R ranging from -1 to 0.5. The method seems to work very well in fatigue strength predictions. Also in industrial cases, the WEL.FA.RE. has an immediate applicability because it requires just a simple experimental diagram εaA-R and few strain-gage experimental measurements. Because of the very good results obtained for steel welded structures and the large diffusion of other type of materials in mechanical constructions, the WEL.FA.RE. method has been tested also on aluminum alloy. Hence, this work presents experimental data obtained for cruciform and butt welded joints characterized by main plate thickness of 10, 15 and 20mm.