The Peak Stress Method for fatigue lifetime assessment of fillet-welded attachments in steel subjected to variable amplitude in-phase multiaxial local stresses

The Peak Stress Method (PSM) for the fatigue strength assessment of welded joints has been recently generalised to account also for variable amplitude (VA) multiaxial loading situations. In the present study, the previously published VA PSM has been verified against new experimental results generated by fatigue testing non-load-carrying (nlc) fillet-welded double transverse or inclined attachments made of S355 structural steel subjected to variable amplitude in-phase multiaxial local stresses. Combined with Miner’s Linear Damage Rule (LDR), the PSM proved effective in predicting the crack initiation location and accurate in estimating the experimental fatigue results.