Effect of Residual Stresses on the Structural Safety of the Butt Welded Structural Steels

Butt welded seams are widely used in steel constructions. The welding conditions, bevel geometry and the weld sequence are decided by considering the material thickness, welding process and the accessibility. Welding operation generates a residual stress state in the joint area depending on the geometry or path of the weld, initial temperature of the material, heat input, clamping conditions, cooling conditions, phase transformations, etc. Design of a product ignoring residual stresses always involves risks for distortion or early failure in the service. In this work, the construction safety measures and the loading safety was discussed based on the surface residual stress distribution in the butt welded joints