• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.45-55
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• 2015

Because of the high stress concentration near the toe of a welded joint, the calculation of local stress using the finite element method which is relevant to the fatigue strength of the weld toe crack, is a challenging task. This is mainly caused by the sensitivity of finite element analysis, which usually occurs near the area of a dramatically changing stress field. This paper presents a novel numerical method through which a less mesh-sensitive local stress calculation can be achieved based on the 3D solid finite element, strictly sticking to the original definition of hot spot stress. In order to achieve the goal, a traction stress, defined at 0.5t and 1.5t away from the weld toe, was calculated using either a force-equivalent or work-equivalent approach, both of which are based on the internal nodal forces on the imaginary cut planes. In the force-equivalent approach, the traction stress on the imaginary cut plane was calculated using the simple force and moment equilibrium, whereas the equivalence of the work done by both the nodal forces and linearized traction stress was employed in the work-equivalent approach. In order to confirm the validity of the proposed method, five typical welded joints widely used in ships and offshore structures were analyzed using five different solid element types and four different mesh sizes. Finally, the performance of the proposed method was compared with that of the traditionally used surface stress extrapolation method. It turned out that the sensitivity of the hot spot stress for the analyzed typical welded joints obtained from the proposed method outperformed the traditional extrapolation method by far.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.259-276
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• 1999

An analytical solution for the shape functions of a beam segment supported on a generalized two-parameter elastic foundation is derived. The solution is general, and is not restricted to a particular range of magnitudes of the foundation parameters. The exact shape functions can be utilized to derive exact analytic expressions for the coefficients of the element stiffness matrix, work equivalent nodal forces for arbitrary transverse loads and coefficients of the consistent mass and geometrical stiffness matrices. As illustration, each distinct coefficient of the element stiffness matrix is compared with its conventional counterpart for a beam segment supported by no foundation at all for the entire range of foundation parameters.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.42 no.4 s.142
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• pp.388-395
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• 2005

A numerical procedure is proposed as a mesh-size insensitive structural stress definition that gives a stress state at a weld toe with relatively large mesh size. The structural stress values obtained using different finite element types, i.e. shell element and solid element, are examined for typical weld structures. The calculation procedures are performed using the balanced nodal forces and moments obtained from finite element solutions. A consistent formulation based on work equivalent argument has been implemented to transform the balanced nodal forces and moments from shell to line force and line moments at each nodal position. The mesh-insensitivity, the effect of distance $\delta$(where the stress is calculated) and the potential limitations of the structural stress method are examined for various types of weldments. Based on the results from this study, it is expected to develop a more precise stress estimation technique for fatigue strength assessment of welded structures.