EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF STRESS CONCENTRATION FACTOR FOR COMPLETELY OVERLAPPED K-JOINTS

The most commonly used method to predict the fatigue life of tubular joints in offshore engineering is S-N curve method, in which the hot spot stress (HSS) range along the weld toe is obtained by referring to the parameter named stress concentration factor (SCF). In this study, a large completely overlapped K-joint specimen under axial load has been tested. The SCF distribution along the weld toes and the peak stress locations of the completely overlapped K-joint subjected to axial load were obtained. It is also approved that a completely overlapped joint is an effective joint type in protecting the chord from fatigue fracture.