Abstract
Parts and structures such as piston rod and knuckle joint for the use of hydraulic cylinder are often welded together in some fashion, usually due to cost and process effectiveness. Welding strongly affects the material by the process of heating and subsequent cooling as well as by the fusion process with additional filler material. Furthermore, a weld is usually far from being perfect, containing inclusions, pores, cavities, undercuts etc. As a consequence, fatigue failures appear in welded structures mostly at the welds rather than in the base metal, even if the latter contains notches. For this reason, fatigue analyses are of high practical interest for all welded structures under the action of cyclic loads. This paper describes the influence of welding parameters, material combinations and heat treatment on the fatigue behavior of welded cylinder rod. In addition, statistical characterization of stress-life response in weldment of hydraulic cylinder rod are presented.